Kidnapping compensation

The Austrian state will not give Natascha Kampusch compensation money for alleged mistakes made in the investigation of her kidnapping and subsequent eight year captivity.

"This refusal was not unexpected," Kampusch's lawyer Gerald Ganzger said.

However, he said Kampusch had hoped for a "symbolic gesture of compensation in light of the sloppiness and numerous mistakes in the investigation."

Kampusch, now 23 years old, had alleged that the Austrian state made mistakes in its investigation which resulted in her being in captivity for a longer period of time.

'Evidence ignored'

Kampusch, at the time 10 years old, was kidnapped on her way home from school in 1998 by Wolfgang Priklopil. Priklopil imprisoned Kampusch in his cellar for eight years until she managed to escape in 2006. Priklopil subsequently committed suicide.

Although the Austrian Interior Ministry argued that there was originally no probable cause to bring Priklopil under suspicion, Kampusch's lawyer countered that the authorities ignored evidence presented by a police officer that pointed to Priklopil.

Ganzger said Kampusch would not have kept the compensation, but instead would have donated it to disadvantaged women and children.

Author: Spencer Kimball (dpa, dapd, AFP)
Editor: Michael Lawton