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SCMP Reporter

The Austrian accused of keeping his daughter as a sex slave for 24 years insisted he  was 'no monster', but that he could have killed his daughter and her children without anyone knowing, a newspaper reported  yesterday.
Josef Fritzl's claims were published as the 73-year-old was interviewed by prosecutors for the first time and told them he was ready to co-operate and talk about the accusations made against him.
'I'm no monster,' Fritzl said in comments passed by his lawyer, Rudolf Mayer,  to the Oesterreich newspaper. He claimed credit for having saved the life of his daughter and added: 'I could have killed them all. Then there would have been no trace. No one would have found me out.'
After interviewing the suspect, prosecutor Christiane Burkheiser  found Fritzl to be 'co-operative' and 'ready to talk'.
A spokesman said the interview lasted 90 minutes but Fritzl was not questioned about the accusations. 'The interview focused on his personal history, his professional career,' the spokesman said.
Fritzl is due to appear before a magistrate tomorrow who will decide whether to keep the suspect in custody for up to another month.
Oesterreich said Fritzl claimed he had saved the life of the eldest of the six surviving children born as a result of the sexual abuse.
Nineteen-year-old Kerstin,  who was born in the cramped dungeon where Fritzl held his daughter prisoner and was never allowed out, was rushed to hospital on April 19 with multiple organ failure.
She has since been in an artificially induced coma and put on a life-support machine.
Kerstin's  treatment triggered the events which led to the discovery of the  abuse case. But Fritzl said: 'If it weren't for me, Kerstin wouldn't be alive today.'
In the comments, Fritzl declined to comment on allegations that he raped not just Elisabeth, but Kerstin as well.
Fritzl is currently in prison in St Poelten  where he is refusing to leave his cell.



'I'm no monster,' declares Fritzl