Fritzl's daughter wakes from coma

Published: Tuesday, 10 June 2008, 2:10PM

A 19-year-old girl who was held captive by her father in a cellar has woken from a seven-week coma.

Kerstin Fritzl has been reunited with her mother Elisabeth Fritzl, 43, and the rest of her family at a secure medical ward.

Kerstin's father Josef Fritzl, 73, has admitted imprisoning Elisabeth in a windowless cellar for 24 years and raping her repeatedly.

She gave birth to seven of his children, three of which remained locked up with their mother and never saw sunlight until their fate was revealed nearly two months ago.

Kerstin was allowed to leave the cramped cellar under the Fritzl family home in Amstetten on April 19 after she became seriously ill.

The move led to Elisabeth and her two sons, Felix, 5, and Stefan, 18, also being released.

Fritzl has blamed his crimes on his Nazi childhood and has spoken of incestuous fantasies about his mother.

He said Elisabeth's claims that he abused her from the age of 11 were untrue and that he began raping her a year after locking her up in 1984.

He is quoted as saying: "My drive to have sex with Elisabeth grew stronger and stronger. I knew Elisabeth didn't want me to do what I did to her. I knew that I was hurting her. It was like an addiction. In reality, I wanted children with her."

Fritzl added: "I am not the beast the media depicts me as.

"When I went into the bunker, I brought flowers for my daughter, and books and toys for the children, and I watched adventure videos with them while Elisabeth was cooking our favourite dish.

"And then we all sat around the table and ate together."

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