Monster Fritzl, 90, was jailed in 2009 for keeping the children, born after he raped daughter Elisabeth, in an underground lair and is seeking early release on grounds of old age and dementia
Cellar rape monster Josef Fritzl hopes to be freed from prison by next Christmas in a bizarre festive message from behind bars.
Fritzl – serving life for keeping a secret family of seven children in his basement – shared a Christmas message through his lawyer Astrid Wagner during a visit to Stein Prison in Austria on Friday.
Speaking in a video message afterwards, Wagner appears to be holding a small Christmas ornament and said: “He gave me a small gift, a Christmas surprise, a small Father Christmas.
“I took great joy in this small gift and would like to use this opportunity to pass on a message from Fritzl personally.
“He wishes everyone out there a merry Christmas and a happy New Year 2026. And he has the hope that by Christmas next year, 2026, he might perhaps already be free.”
Wagner, who has been campaigning for his release for years, also said she is “shocked” by hateful comments directed at her client.
Fritzl has been trying to secure his release from custody since October 2021. He was transferred in January 2024 from a secure psychiatric detention regime into the regular prison system following court rulings.
An application for his conditional release was later rejected by the authorities in Krems.
Fritzl is Austria’s most notorious prisoner after being convicted in March 2009 of crimes including murder by neglect, enslavement, unlawful imprisonment, rape, incest and coercion.
The case emerged in 2008 when it was revealed he had imprisoned his daughter Elisabeth in a cellar beneath the family home in Amstetten for 24 years.
During that time, he repeatedly abused her and fathered seven children with her, one of whom died shortly after birth.
The investigation began after Fritzl brought a seriously ill daughter to hospital, leading doctors to alert police and prompting a search for the child’s mother.
Fritzl is currently divorced and has abandoned his original name. His lawyer has previously said he suffers from progressive dementia and experiences bizarre delusions.
Wagner has argued that psychiatric assessments show he no longer poses a danger to the public and that he has already served more than the minimum term required for a life sentence.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletter by clicking here .