Monster Dad: Josef Fritzl

Elisabeth Fritzl, the Austrian woman kept in a cellar by her father for 24 years and made to bear his children, has begun giving videotaped testimony to prosecutors about her ordeal.

Elisabeth (42) said the abuse began when she was 11 and culminated at 18 when her father Josef (74) drugged her and imprisoned her in a secret cellar beneath the family home in Amstteten, Austria.

She also testified about the birth and death of a baby son, whose corpse Josef then burned in a stove. Her evidence on this aspect is vital, as it could lead prosecutors to charge Josef with murder, ensuring that if found guilty, he would receive a life
sentence instead of a maximum 12 years for rape and unlawful incarceration. But experts say it is likely Josef will spend the rest of his life in a prison or secure mental institution.

Elisabeth's testimony is being videotaped to spare her having to testify at her father's trial, which is scheduled to begin at the end of the year.