01. 07. 10. - 12:00

Kampusch cop shot himself over patronage, brother claims

Protection and patronage led a leading investigator of the Natascha Kampusch kidnap case to commit suicide, his brother has claimed.

Karl Kröll told local media today (Thurs) that his brother Franz shot himself in the head at his Graz flat last Sunday because he refused to obey interventions from higher-ranking police chiefs trying to protect their friends and illicit business partners.

Karl Kröll said the 59-year-old – who was regarded one of Austria’s best crime investigators – was once told to abandon investigations into an alleged rape at a VIP party to ensure the reputation of suspected bosses of a major football club would not be harmed.

He also claimed some statements of Kampusch went unheard among his brother’s colleagues who presented the final police report on the case earlier this year.

"I don’t want to see any of them at the funeral," the 56-year-old fumed.

Kröll had suffered from depression, according to reports.

Kampusch, 21, was snatched off the road on her way to school in Vienna aged ten by pervert Wolfgang Priklopil. She managed to escape in 2006 and is currently working on her autobiography.

German director Bernd Eichinger meanwhile revealed plans to turn her life into a movie.

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