Fritzl changes plea to guilty

The 73 year old Austrian Josef Fritzl, on trial for the rape and imprisonment of his daughter, has admitted all charges of incest, murder and enslavement against him.

Fritzl had originally entered a "partial" plea, insisting he was not guilty of the murder of one of his sons.

The turnaround came on day three of the trial, after hearing the testimony of his daughter, Elizabeth.

At the start of the day’s proceedings, the presiding judge asked Fritzl how he felt. “I plead guilty”, was his short reply.

Fritzl`s defence lawyer told reporters that he was completely surprised by the new plea.

Sorry

Fritzl went on to tell the court that he should have done something to save his baby son, who died shortly after birth in 1996. The boy had been suffering from breathing problems.

Fritzl said he was sorry.

Of the remaining six children, three were raised above ground by Fritzl and his wife Rosemarie.

He incarcerated the other three in a cellar from birth. They saw daylight for the first time last year.

Fritzl lured his daughter into his secret chamber below the family house in 1984, subjecting her to twenty five years of imprisonment and repeated rape.

The dungeon finally came to light in 2008 when one of the children became ill and was taken to hospital.

The case has attracted world-wide media attention and calls for changes to Austria`s sex crime laws.

The trial is now expected to finish on Thursday with sentencing the same day.