Josef Fritzl to have mental health check

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Josef Fritzl will undergo psychiatric testing to decide whether he is fit to stand trial as his lawyers claim he is insane, thus not responsible for his actions.

The Austrian man has already admit to imprisoning his daughter Elisabeth in an underground dungeon and repeatedly raping her over a 24-year period.

He has also confessed to fathering seven children with her and disposing of one child's body in an incinerator when it died shortly after birth.

However his lawyer, Rudolf Mayer, is now arguing that Fritzl is 'mentally incompetent' and consequently unfit to stand trial. Mayer claims his client should be admitted to a 'psychiatric clinic' rather than jail.

Dr Adelheid Kastner, a forensic psychiatrist who was hired by the St Poelten court to examine Fritzl and determine whether he is fit to stand trial, says she will not be pressured in carrying out her job and advised that it was extremely difficult to fake insanity.

'I will not allow any pressure while I complete my task. I will only hand my opinion to the court if I am certain that I have fully considered all the aspects of my analysis.'

Dr Kastner is due to meet Fritzl in prison later this week to begin her analysis, which could take 'weeks'.

'The analysis could take anything between a single session to several days or even weeks. It all depends on the subject's willingness to cooperate.'

Tuesday 13 May 2008

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