Thursday, 24. May 2012
:: Home > General News > Kampusch kidnapper's pal not guilty of complicity in suicide
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Today
Polls
_kidnapper_has_been_found_not_guilty_of_complicity_in_suicide. "A former close friend and business partner of Natascha Kampusch’s (pictured) kidnapper has been found not guilty of complicity in suicide.")
RSS Feed General News30. 08. 10. - 16:00
Kampusch kidnapper's pal not guilty of complicity in suicide
A former close friend and business partner of Natascha Kampusch’s kidnapper has been found not guilty of complicity in suicide.
Viennese Criminal Court judge Minou Aigner said in today’s (Mon) trial there was no evidence Ernst Holzapfel helped Wolfgang Priklopil to hide from police on the day Kampusch fled from him after more than eight years of imprisonment.
The verdict is not legally binding yet as state prosecutor Hans-Peter Kronawetter did not make an official statement.
Holzapfel – who pleaded not guilty – explained Priklopil told him it was an "emergency" when he asked to meet him outside Vienna’s Donauzentrum mall on 23 August 2006.
"He was in a very bad state. He asked me to switch my mobile phones off after I got into his car so no one can track us," the Viennese businessman – who knew Priklopil for more than 20 years – said in court.
Holzapfel, further, said: "Priklopil declared himself an abductor and rapist. I was shocked and suddenly realised that the girl he once introduced to me as a kid from the neighbourhood but Natascha Kampusch."
Asked why he did not call police, Holzapfel stressed: "I knew everyone getting into Pirklopil’s way put their lives at risk. He was ready to use violence. It was clear to me I was endangered. I was in the same situation as Natascha Kampusch."
Holzapfel revealed he kept Priklopil from killing himself by steering his BMW sports car against a wall by telling him the vehicle "has too little horsepower to accelerate sufficiently for this kind of suicide".
The defendant stressed Priklopil had no plans to flee. "He had no money with him and did not make any arrangements," he said in court.
Holzapfel said Priklopil planned to write a note for his mother before he got out of his car after a five-hour ride, but only managed to scribble the word "Mama" (mum) on a sheet of paper.
Priklopil committed suicide by jumping in front of a train later the same day.
Kampusch’s father Ludwig Koch – who previously accused Holzapfel of having been involved in the kidnapping – said in a first reaction after hearing that Priklopil’s former best mate was found not guilty: "I’m not happy about this, of course, but he managed to get away so many times."
Weekly magazine News revealed recently Kampusch fled from Priklopil’s house in Strasshof an der Nordbahn, Lower Austria, over a "trivial argument" over how best to prepare a zucchini soup.
The magazine reported Holzapfel, 46, made this claim speaking to investigators earlier this year.
"Wolfgang told me that she dashed out of the house after a banal row over how to cook a soup," News quoted Holzapfel.
Secret police interview documents leaked by Greens MP Peter Pilz earlier this month show that Priklopil took Kampusch on at least 13 trips since snatching her from the road on her way to school in Vienna in March 1998.
Kampusch’s lawyer Gerald Ganzger is understood to have held talks with his client over pressing compensation claims against the Republic of Austria. Kampusch – who lives a secluded life in Vienna and rarely gives interviews these days – could be awarded up to half a million Euros, according to experts.
Meanwhile, Kampusch angered fans by announced well ahead of the presentation of her autobiography that she will not provide any autographs.
Michaela Bokon, manager of the Thalia bookstore in Vienna-Landstraße where Kampusch will speak about "3,096 Tage" (3,096 Days) on 9 September, was informed by the 21-year-old that she would neither answer any questions posed by fans nor provide autographs.
Bokon added she decided to hire security personnel as hundreds were expected to turn up.
Kampusch – who bought her kidnapper’s house and BMW – has been living a secluded life in Vienna after her TV chat show "Natascha Kampusch trifft…" flopped on private channel Puls 4.
German Bernd Eichinger announced earlier this year he was cooperating with Kampusch about turning her life into a movie set for a 2012 release.
Austrian Times
Related articles: Natascha Kampusch
-
Kampusch dad skint and behind bars, paper claims
» General News 2011-10-21
The father of a young woman who was kidnapped at the age of 10 in 1998 and locked up by her pervert captor for eight years has been arrested, according to a report.
-
SM bar boss admits attempted abduction
» General News 2011-10-05
A sadomasochism (SM) sex club manager has been sentenced to seven years behind bars for trying to abduct a teenager.
-
» General News 2011-09-12
An elderly man from St. Peter am Hart in Upper Austria accused of raping his daughters for decades has been freed from custody.
more related articles tagged "Natascha Kampusch"
Related articles: Fritzl
-
Kampusch dad skint and behind bars, paper claims
» General News 2011-10-21
The father of a young woman who was kidnapped at the age of 10 in 1998 and locked up by her pervert captor for eight years has been arrested, according to a report.
-
» General News 2011-10-19
An appeal court has confirmed a fine issued to director, actor and author Paulus Manker.
-
SM bar boss admits attempted abduction
» General News 2011-10-05
A sadomasochism (SM) sex club manager has been sentenced to seven years behind bars for trying to abduct a teenager.
Tag cloud:
kidnapper Priklopil police magazine secluded endangered Austria court fled autographs stressed soup Bokon suicide Vienna fans Holzapfel guilty Kampusch Natascha
Coalition accelerates anti-corruption ambitions
The government is intensifying its attempts to pass a transparency package in parliament.
Küng tackles Schüller group
Another top-tier representative of the Austrian Church has warned the Preachers’ Initiative from consequences.
BMW and Porsche seized by bold burglars
Crooks broke into a house and stole the keys to two valuable cars early Thursday morning while the residents were sleeping.
Pecik defends TA engagement
Telekom Austria (TA) investor Ronny Pecik has declared himself a team player.
Lightning strikes two workers
Two construction workers at the new Westbahnhof train station were hospitalised after being struck by lightning.
Mayor land fraud allegations
Prosecutors are investigating the mayor of Innervillgraten in Eastern Tyrol over allegations of irregularities in a sale of land that he authorised to another local council member.
Infra red heating takes off
A new heating system from a Burgenland company that operates with energy-saving, efficient, infra-red light is heating the market up.
Games night hits Vienna
Six Vienna game clubs open their doors tonight for a night full of games including Chess, Go or Tarock. The evening is meant both as a night of playing these games for enthusiasts, as well as learning them for novices.
Silly parkers road rage rampage
A serial bad parker in Graz added resisting arrest and going on the run to his crimes when police went to arrest him for notching up almost 100 parking tickets in the southern city of Graz.
Knoflacher emphasises pedestrian zones' economic effects
A renowned traffic planner has stressed that shop owners are generally appreciating the introduction of pedestrian zones.
The most popular stories –
last 7 days
|
Dune And Busted |
|
Swastika Shaped Austrian School Rebuilt |
|
Nazi still honoured in Austria |
|
20th Vienna Life Ball a fiery success! |
|
Thieves caught trying to nick F**king Sign |
