St Poelten, Austria  – The jury in the case of Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man accused of imprisoning and raping his daughter Elisabeth for 24 years, and the murder through neglect of their baby boy, retired to consider its verdict on Thursday morning.

In the final statements to the jury, the prosecution demanded lifelong imprisonment for Fritzl, saying he was guilty of all charges brought against him. The defence called for a reduced sentencing.

Fritzl had unexpectedly changed his pleas on Wednesday, to confess to all the charges, including murder and slavery.

A verdict is due Thursday, once the 12-strong jury have deliberated on a list of questions prepared by the judges.

If convicted of murder, Fritzl faces lifelong imprisonment.

An expert psychologist recommended to the court that Fritzl should subsequently be admitted indefinitely to a facility for abnormal offenders, should he be handed a finite sentence. (dpa)