Fine imposed over Kampusch kidnap

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An Austrian judge has imposed a 10,000-euro (£8,947) fine on the head of a commission investigating the notorious kidnapping of Natascha Kampusch.

Ludwig Adamovich was sued for slander after saying that the eight years she spent in a cellar were "better than what she had known until then".

Her mother Brigitte Sirny had sued him. His lawyer has appealed the ruling.

Natascha was kidnapped when she was 10 by Wolfgang Priklopil, who committed suicide after her escape in 2006.

Mr Adamovich, 77, was formerly the president of Austria's constitutional court.

Half of the 10,000-euro fine will be suspended.

Mr Adamovich is reported to be reconsidering his role as chief investigator.

The government commission, investigating possible irregularities in the way the police handled the case, has suggested that Priklopil may not have acted alone - something Ms Kampusch disputes.

Ms Kampusch was abducted on her way to school in 1998 when she was 10 years old and was held captive in the town of Strasshof on the outskirts of Vienna.

Much of her time was spent in a basement cell, secured by a heavy vault door. She managed to flee in August 2006.

Just hours after her escape, Priklopil committed suicide.