Austrian kidnap victim to appear in TV interview

[Tender Branson]

By Karin Strohecker

VIENNA (Reuters) - Austrian Natascha Kampusch will show her face to the world on Wednesday to describe her eight-year kidnap ordeal in her first television interview, her adviser told Reuters.

No picture has been published of the 18-year old woman since her dash to freedom from a small cell in a sleepy town outside Vienna two weeks ago, which sparked a worldwide media frenzy.

"We discussed it for a long time and I personally thought she should be more protected," Kampusch's adviser, Dietmar Ecker, said in an interview.


"But then I talked to international media and they told me very clearly, 'if she is covered up, photographers will hunt her down until we get the first picture.'"

In the interview, due to be broadcast by Austrian state television at 1815 GMT, Kampusch will show her face but cover her hair to allow her to change her looks later, Ecker said.

The details of one of Austria's most notorious crimes have kept the nation spellbound since Kampusch escaped from her abductor, Wolfgang Priklopil, while he took a phone call outside his house in Strasshof, some 25 km (15 miles) outside Vienna.

Police have said Kampusch had "sexual contact" with the 44-year old communications technician, but did not elaborate. Psychologists have said the young woman bore deep mental scars.

Ecker said Kampusch wanted to tell her story personally to all Austrians who feared for her life and rejoiced in her escape. She decided to give the interview to state broadcaster ORF, by far the most widely watched Austrian station.

SILENT CRY FOR HELP

The ORF journalist who spoke to Kampusch said he was surprised by her confidence but also shocked by the interview.

"Who would have thought that someone who has been locked up for eight years would have so much self-confidence," said Christoph Feurstein in an interview with ORF radio on Wednesday.

"When she (talked about how she) stepped into that cell for the first time -- you could feel her fear."


Kampusch, who was just 10 years old when she was kidnapped and held in a windowless room in Priklopil's house, told him how she tried in vain to catch people's attention when visiting a DIY store once with her captor.

The young woman had been on several outings as her captor relaxed his grip in the months before her escape.

"Her eyes were screaming 'help' but no one noticed," Feurstein said.

While ORF has not paid for the interview, the broadcaster has sold international media rights, and all proceeds will go into a fund for Kampusch, said Ecker. He declined to specify how big the fees agreed for the rights are.

Kampusch also gave interviews to News magazine and daily Kronen-Zeitung in return for a package including housing support, a long-term job offer and help with her education.

Since her escape, Kampusch has been shielded from public view and helped by medical, criminal and media experts -- a move made necessary by the media hype her re-appearance sparked.

"We have received just under 400 interview requests from all parts of the world," said Ecker. "There is no continent on earth who did not want an interview with Natascha."

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The first official picture of her, released today:



Hmm, what a media hype we have here now ... it´s Topic Nr. 1

Today this interview of her will be probably seen by 3 million out of the 6 million TV watchers in Austria. The Girl is like an "Austrian Jeanne D'Arc" now ...

[Middle-aged Europe]

Your election campaign has to be pretty boring if this now the no. 1 topic.

But there's a similar Natascha hype here in Germany... probably not as extreme as in Austria, but it's still there.

[Tender Branson]

Your election campaign has to be very boring if this now the no. 1 topic.

But there's a similar Natascha hype here in Germany... probably not as extreme as in Austria, but it's still there.

Yes somehow...how to bring down the already low unemployment in the country, taxes, care, alternative energy, a bit on education, thats it for the most

[Michael Z]

Yeah, I read about this. I think it's quite amazing (negatively speaking) that he was able to keep this girl imprisoned for such a long time, and even take her shopping, without anyone noticing. In any case, this is f***ed up.