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Protected ... Natascha covered in blanket after escape
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Kidnap girl wants house
By JAMES CLENCH A LEGAL bid by kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch to take possession of her captor’s house was being seen last night as an extraordinary attempt to cling on to her past. The £120,000 home contains the lair in which she was held as a sex slave for eight years by monster Wolfgang Priklopil. Experts saw the 18-year-old’s move as more evidence that she formed an emotional bond with Priklopil — and possibly even LOVED him. Her lawyer admitted she would NOT sell the house if she won ownership of it. And he could NOT rule out the possibility she would return to visit the grim cellar that was her prison. The experts said Natascha — grabbed by paedophile Priklopil when she was just ten — appears reluctant to distance herself from the horrors of her captivity.
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Legal bid ... house where Priklopil
kept Natascha
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She may also regard the beast’s home in Strasshof, near Vienna, as her rightful inheritance considering her ordeal. It also emerged yesterday that neighbours often saw Natascha looking “relaxed” with Priklopil — and the pair had been spotted going out together in his car. A psychiatrist assigned to the case, Dr Rainhard Haller, offered a fascinating insight into the girl’s state of mind by saying the relationship between the two was complex. He said: “Priklopil was not only the dominant and cruel kidnapper but also a father, a friend and possibly a lover.” The developments follow claims that the teenager is pregnant with 44-year-old Priklopil’s baby. Natascha has issued an amazing open letter in which she said she was “mourning” her tormentor, who threw himself under a train a week ago after she finally escaped his clutches. The legal bid for the property and Priklopil’s assets was announced by Natascha’s lawyer Dr Guenter Harrich.
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Dungeon ... basement that was
Natascha's home for eight years
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Communications technician Priklopil owned two-thirds of the house, with the rest belonging to his mum. Natascha’s claim would therefore be worth around £80,000. He also owned two cars and 24 per cent of the firm he worked for, though the company has little value as it was inactive. Dr Harrich said: “We are filing a demand for the house in Strasshof in the legacy proceedings for Mr Priklopil’s belongings. “I believe his mother will not object to that. After all, it is a matter of compensation for his victim’s pain and suffering.” Natascha is also expected to receive a £450,000 payment from Austria’s criminal injuries compensation board. And Dr Harrich has set up a special account for donations from sympathisers. The lawyer met Natascha yesterday in the secret “sanatorium-like” establishment where she is staying.
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Complex ... Natascha aged ten
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Before the rendezvous, he said he was taking her some make-up she had asked for — and revealed a psychiatrist had given her £30 as she had no money. He added: “She is a sweet, very nice, clever woman with an unbelievable intellect. She has been busy writing, reading and painting.” Natascha has refused to return to either of her divorced parents, Ludwig and Brigitta, and is instead set to share a flat with other teenagers. She is surrounded by an army of child psychiatrists and social workers including the top man in his field, Professor Max Friedrich of Vienna University. She even has a PR guru, Dieter Ecker, who plans to negotiate a single lucrative interview deal for her amazing story.
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Priklopil ... Natascha may have formed
a bizarre bond with her kidnapper
Picture: REUTERS
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Priklopil’s next door neighbours Josef and Leopoldine Jantschek told how Natascha seemed calm and unruffled when she appeared with the kidnapper. Josef, 66, said: “I saw the young lady in the garden quite often over the past year. They also drove off together in his car and every time she waved at us in a friendly way.” Josef told how Priklopil claimed Natascha was a Yugoslav home help. He said: “When I asked him if she was his new girlfriend he just said, ‘I have borrowed her from a colleague to do some work for me’.” But Josef added that Natascha often looked pale and always entered Priklopil’s house through the garage. Hidden stairs led from there to the cellar. Ugly red welts were seen on Natascha’s legs after her escape. Sun doctor Carol Cooper said they could have been caused by flea bites, vitamin C deficiency through a poor diet or a skin complaint called pellagra — also caused by a lack of vital vitamins. Cops yesterday searched for other hidden rooms at the house. But so far they have found no hint more girls were kidnapped. |