'German Fritzl' Admits Fathering 7 Children With Stepdaughter

A German truck driver today admitted fathering at least seven children with his stepdaughter but rejected claims that he repeatedly raped the girl, her twin brother and his own biological daughter over more than 20 years of alleged abuse.

The man, known only as Detlef S. due to the country's strict privacy laws, is standing trial in the western German city of Koblenz on 350 counts of sexually abusing minors and 35 counts of facilitating child prostitution. The accused -- who was wearing a bright red blazer, jeans and a blue shirt -- sat emotionless as his 21-page indictment was read out, the German daily Bild reported.

If found guilty, he will serve 15 years in jail.

Detlef's lawyer, Thomas Dueber, told the court his client "would like to clarify that he is the father of the seven children of the co-plaintiff [his stepdaughter]. But he denies the charges made against him," Agence France-Presse reported.

Detlef, 48, has been dubbed the "German Fritzl" by the local media, due to the similarities between his case and that of Austrian Josef Fritzl, who imprisoned his daughter in a basement dungeon and fathered seven children with her.

DNA tests have already shown that there is "99.99 percent" certainty that Detlef is the father of his 28-year-old stepdaughter's seven children, court spokesman Alexander Walter said, according to CNN.

Another child he fathered with her is believed to have died as a baby.

Prosecutors allege that most of the crimes took place at Detlef's family home in the town of Fluterschen, 20 miles north of Koblenz. Until his arrest last August, Detlef lived at the property with his wife and 15 children. Four of the children were from his wife's first marriage, and the couple also had four of their own children. The other seven were allegedly the result of incest.

All of the family members were frequently beaten by Detlef, said prosecutors. The truck driver kept a belt and a homemade whip in the house, which he would use to violently punish his 52-year-old wife and children.

The court in Koblenz today heard that Detlef began to sexually assault his stepdaughter, Natalie (not her real name), and her twin brother Bjorn B. when they were about 4 years old. When his own daughter Janine (not her real name) turned 12, he started raping her once a week, telling her, "As a father, I'm not supposed to do this."

From 1995 onward, the trucker allegedly began hiring out the girls to friends, who would pay $40 to $50 to have sex with them. He would ply Janine and Natalie with liquor and take photos as his friends abused them. Two of Detlef's friends will go to trial on charges of sexually abusing minors later this year.

The case has left many Germans wondering why Detlef was able to escape arrest for 23 years. Midwife Gabriele Schulte, who delivered three of Natalie's children, told the regional Rhein-Zeitung newspaper that she and a doctor became suspicious because each child was registered as "father unknown."

After the third child was listed as "father unknown," the medics asked social services to investigate. "They went over there to see what was what," she said. "But since the children showed no signs of being neglected or even abused, and as the daughter said nothing, they had to leave. What could the officials have done differently?"

Schulte added that Detlef was present at all three births and never seemed afraid that his stepdaughter might start talking. "He definitely didn't have a bad conscience," she said.

Bjorn told journalists gathered outside the courthouse that authorities made multiple basic mistakes during previous investigations -- such as questioning the children while Detlef was in the room.

"If you are a trained social worker, you are supposed to go there and interview the victims without the perpetrator being present, and not all together," he said, according to AFP. "It is clear that the children were unable to build up any trust of the youth welfare office."

In an earlier interview with Bild, Bjorn recounted how social services and the police had let the family down in 2002.

"Detlef was drunk. He went upstairs. Suddenly we heard screaming. We saw Detlef trying to drag my sister into the bedroom. My mother started shouting at him, and he beat her up so badly that she lost consciousness," he said. "We went to the police and to social services, but never heard anything back from them. Five days later, I moved out of the house."

The local social services office has said it followed all of the correct procedures and was not at fault. However, a retired family court judge will carry out an impartial review of the way authorities handled the case.