Father of kidnapped teen to sue author of book about her ordeal

The father of an Austrian teenager who was held captive for more than eight years said Monday he would sue the author of a book about his daughter's ordeal.

Ludwig Koch, the father of Natascha Kampusch, said he plans to take legal action because the book contains an interview he never gave.

The book "Girl in the Cellar," by Allan Hall and Michael Leidig, has been published in English by Hodder & Stoughton. It will not be released in Austria, Germany or Switzerland.

"I don't know anything about it and never gave an interview. This is an impudence. I will sue Michael Leidig," Koch said in a statement issued by his media coordinator Rupert Leutgeb.

Natascha Kampusch was kidnapped in March 1998 on her way to school. Her captor, Wolfgang Priklopil, largely confined her to an underground, windowless cell in his home in a rural Vienna suburb. He committed suicide within hours of her escape on Aug. 23. Leutgeb told The Associated Press that Koch was now in the process of preparing the lawsuit.

Leutgeb said he and Koch had only seen extracts of the book but that they would go through it carefully once they got a copy.

"Legal action will be taken against the book. No interview was given for the book," Leutgeb said.

Leutgeb noted that Leidig was in Koch's home seven or eight times after Kampusch's escape because he served as coordinator for some British news outlets, reports AP.

Kampusch, now 18, told the German tabloid "die aktuelle" this weekend that the book did not accurately reflect her experience.

Last month, Kampusch's lawyer warned that violation of Kampusch's personal rights in the form of unauthorized book projects, paparazzi or "other free riders" will be "opposed with every means available."

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