London, Mar 17 : Elisabeth Fritzl, the Austrian woman whose father imprisoned her in a cellar for 24 years and repeatedly raped her, was forced to give birth to her babies in a rat-infested dungeon with a tattered book on pregnancy to help her, a jury was told.

Father Josef offered her no help through the births of four of their seven children, and even failed to visit her for 10 days after the first baby was born in 1988, reports The Telegraph.

When one of their babies became seriously ill shortly after birth, Fritzl refused to get medical help, saying: "What will be, will be," it is alleged.

The baby died three days after he was born, and Fritzl allegedly burned his body in a stove in the cellar.

He denies the murder and also refutes a charge of slavery, but admitted rape, incest, false imprisonment and coercion on the first day of his trial in St Poelten, Austria.

During the trial, jury was shown part of an 11-hour video of Elisabeth giving evidence, which forms the main part of the prosecution case.

Fritzl''s wife Rosemarie refused to give evidence.

The trial continues. (ANI)