ENGLAND: First book on Austrian kidnap woman Natascha Kampusch hits shelves

A British publisher has ignored the wishes of Austrian former kidnap victim Natascha Kampusch and released the first account of her harrowing ordeal living as a captive for eight years in a windowless cell. Hodder & Stoughton's "Girl in the Cellar: The Natascha Kampusch Story" written by two journalists went on sale in London bookstores on Thursday (November 30), despite Kampusch's advisers saying she would sue anyone trying to publish a book about her. They have argued that she was the only person who should tell her story. Aware of the controversy surrounding the publication, Hodder & Stoughton issued a brief statement to accompany the release of the 260-page book. "Hodder & Stoughton publishers have taken steps to ensure that the book 'Girl in the Cellar' complies with appropriate legal requirements," it said. "They do not intend to market the book in Europe outside the UK." The London-based agent dealing with the book's publishing rights was not immediately available for comment. In Vienna, Kampusch's lawyer Gerald Ganzger threatened to sue the online version of British newspaper The Times, which featured an extract from the book on Nov. 23. The newspaper was not immediately available for comment. Ganzger said he was unsure if he would pursue legal action against the book publishers, adding that such a case would only give the book free publicity which Kampusch wanted to avoid. He added that in time, his client will be able to tell her own story, making all other books irrelevant. "We cannot prevent books about Ms Kampusch or about the crime case Kampusch, this is legally impossible, as long as the book does not violate the intimacy and privacy of Ms. Kampusch and features untruths. And I think that at the moment there is no publisher here who is willing to publish such a book. It would be important, and this is something that Ms Kampusch is thinking about, that she tells her story authentically. Then all other books (on her story) will be uninteresting," Ganzger said. "The Girl in the Cellar" was written by Allan Hall, a journalist based in Berlin, and Michael Leidig, also a journalist based in Austria. Kampusch, now 18, was forced to live in a cell beneath a house garage from 1998 until her dramatic escape in August, which turned her into an international media sensation. Her captor, 44-year-old Wolfgang Priklopil, committed suicide hours after she slipped away.

ITN Source | December 1, 2006

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