Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
NEVER GIVE UP
Message of hope to Maddie’s parents from girl held captive for eight years
A KIDNAP victim who was held captive for eight years has told the Mccanns to “never give up” on finding their daughter Madeleine.
Natascha Kampusch was snatched by Wolfgang Priklopil when she was 10 years old. She spent 3,096 days as his prisoner before escaping. Now, she has now sent a message of hope to Kate and Gerry Mccann, ahead of the 10th anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance. Speaking on Good Morning Britain, in her first interview on UK TV, Natascha spoke of her “satisfaction of surviving”. In a message to Kate and Gerry, she said: “Please stay strong and never give up yourself. I hope that Madeleine appears.” May 3 marks 10 years since Madeleine vanished from the Mccanns’ holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal. Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley said this week that a live investigation into her disappearance was now at a crucial stage. Natascha, from Vienna, Austria, was snatched by Priklopil in March 1998. She eventually escaped in August 2006. She spent her captivity in a 54-square-foot cell in Priklopil’s garage. The cell’s reinforced door was concealed by a cupboard. Natascha, now aged 29, owns the house where she was held, in Strasshof an der Nordbahn, about an hour from Vienna. She said owning it helps her to “have control” and gives her the “satisfaction of surviving”. Of her captor, she said: “I think he was a lonely person – he was like a person without friends and without any love and perspectives.” Natascha said he gave her a “frosty feeling, like ice”, adding: “He tried to shut my mouth with his hands and he hit me. I was never free. “He always had me always under control.” She said she had days of doubt during her imprisonment, but remained strong because she had “plans for my life – and I didn’t want to give up these plans”. But she admitted struggling when thinking about her family, because she knew her parents did not know where she was. “I was at the beginning, at the very first day, crying because of my parents, because they didn’t know what had happened to me. “It was so hard. During the whole eight-and-a-half years, [I had] the same emotion. I had this kind of [feeling] that it’s necessary to survive and go back to my family and my normal life and identity,” she said. Natascha eventually escaped through an unlocked gate, using the sound of a vacuum cleaner as cover, while her captor was on the phone. Priklopil killed himself by jumping in front of a train before police could arrest him. Natascha, who became a spokeswoman for animal rights group Peta, said her attempts to lead a normal life over the past 10 years since her escape have been difficult. She said her hopes for her life were to have a garden, a swimming pool and some sheep. “Maybe sometime I [will] care for my own children and husband, maybe – that’s not the first thing,” she said of her future.
Please stay strong and never give up hope yourself. I hope that Madeleine appears NATASCHA KAMPUSCH ADVICE FOR KATE AND GERRY MCCANN
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