Austrian man accused of sexually abusing daughters for 40 years

Authorities in Austria say they have uncovered yet another man who has imprisoned and sexually abused his daughters for decades.

The 80-year-old man, identified as “Gottfried W”, is accused of abusing his two daughters starting at the ages of 12 and 4 years old, and continuing for over 40 years. Police say both women, now 53 and 45, have “mental deficiencies” according to the BBC.

The two women had little outside contact, but when they did, the man allegedly threatened them with further harm if they sought help. Their mother, who passed away a few years ago, is also suspected to have been a victim of continuous abuse.

The women were finally able to escape when one physically overpowered her father when she says he was trying to rape her. The man fell and became incapacitated, and was found two days later by a social worker, whom the daughters had told of the abuse.

Upper Austrian Police Chief Martin Pumberger told UPI, “Not only did [the daughters] live in isolation but they lived under a regime of terror and abuse with constant threats and actual violence as well as the sexual attacks. The two women… were severely cut off from society by the father.”

The man denies the abuse allegations.

The case is similar to that of Austrian man Josef Fritzl, who kept his daughter, Elizabeth, locked in the cellar and raped her repeatedly over the course of 24 years, fathering four children with her. Fritzl was convicted in 2009 and given a life sentence.