Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

'Italy's Josef Fritzl' arrested along with son

Reuters
Friday 27 March 2009 18:20 GMT
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Italian police have arrested a 64-year-old man for sexually abusing his daughter during 25 years and encouraging his son to do the same, in a case dubbed "Italy's Josef Fritzl" by the media.

Prosecutors in the northern city of Turin have charged the man's 41-year-old son with sexual abuse of his sister and his own four daughters, aged between six and 20.

"It seems that in this family there was a sort of right of 'droit de seigneur' of the father over the daughter," prosecutor Pietro Forno was quoted as saying by Italian news agency Ansa.

The man's daughter, now 34, was forced to leave school in her early teens and complained to authorities of sexual abuse as early as 1994, but was not taken seriously.

The father and son, both street traders, have been charged with rape, family abuse, and obscene acts in public because some of the sexual abuse took place in a car.

Fritzl, a 73-year-old Austrian, was sentenced to life in a secure mental unit this month for locking up and raping his daughter in a cellar over 24 years, fathering seven children with her and causing the death of his own infant son.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in