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Australia's "Fritzl" jailed for 30 years of depravity

Other News Materials 15 February 2010 14:56 (UTC +04:00)
An Australian who kept his daughter as a sex slave for 30 years in the Melbourne house he shared with his wife was Monday sentenced to 18 years in prison before parole is considered.
Australia's "Fritzl" jailed for 30 years of depravity

An Australian who kept his daughter as a sex slave for 30 years in the Melbourne house he shared with his wife was Monday sentenced to 18 years in prison before parole is considered.

The 66-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, fathered four children with his daughter. She reported him to police in 2005 but did not agree to press charges until 2008, DPA reported.

The case has clear parallels with that of Austrian Josef Fritzl, who was jailed for life last year for keeping his daughter prisoner in a cellar and fathering her seven children over 24 years of sexual abuse.

The wife claimed to be unaware of any abuse, despite sharing a house with her daughter, husband and grandchildren until 2005.

Child welfare advocates have called for an inquiry into why authorities did not spot the abuse despite being involved in the welfare of the family for decades.

   "It's really quite extraordinary to think that a person can be let down by not just systems but by community and family, as this woman has been let down," Child Safety Commissioner Bernard Geary said.

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