Captor's colleague says he met 'happy' Austrian girl

VIENNA, Aug 30 (Reuters) A colleague of the man who held Natascha Kampusch captive for eight years in a cell under his garage said today he met the Austrian woman during her ordeal and she had looked happy.

Ernst Holzapfel told a news conference how he was introduced to Kampusch in mid-July when kidnapper Wolfgang Priklopil stopped by to borrow a trailer for his car.

''I opened the door and he introduced me to the young woman saying she was an acquaintance, but not mentioning her name,'' he said. ''Of course I had no idea who she was.

''I shook her hand, she said politely 'hello','' Holzapfel said. ''She looked happy and content.'' Holzapfel said he had been surprised to see his 44-year-old colleague with a woman and had wondered whether she was his girlfriend.

''I always thought if you worked with someone for years you should know them,'' he said. ''The whole time I didn't notice a thing. I never thought something so horrible could happen.'' One of Austria's most notorious crimes have mesmerised the nation since Kampusch re-appeared last Wednesday.

Priklopil kidnapped 10-year-old Kampusch on her way to school in 1998 and killed himself shortly after her escape. She fled when he was distracted by a phone call while she was vacuuming his car.

MOURNED HIS SUICIDE Kampusch has said she mourned her kidnapper's suicide as he had been part of her life. Austrian police said she had ''sexual contact'' with Priklopil, without elaborating.

Priklopil had been a partner in Holzapfel's construction business and over the years they renovated many flats and commercial premises together.

''He worked on ventilation and sanitation systems,'' Holzapfel said.

Holzapfel had also been several times in Priklopil's garage but had thought nothing of the repair recess in the floor which led to the vaulted entrance to Kampusch's fully-equipped six sq-meter cell.

''He liked to work on cars,'' said Holzapfel.

Kampusch is being looked after at a secret location, shielded from the media frenzy, and is believed to have come down with ''Stockholm Syndrome'' -- a psychological condition in which prisoners begin to identify with their captors.

''In those 8-1/2 years she must have grown together with him -- mentally or psychologically,'' said her father Ludwig Koch in an interview with German broadcaster N24 yesterday.

Priklopil had also told Kampusch that he had asked for a ransom but could not reach her father, Koch said.

Koch hoped his daughter could be happy again and said death had been her captor's most lenient punishment.

''He must have been a pitiful creature whose only way to exist was by snatching someone else,'' Koch said. ''I feel hate and I feel pity.'' REUTERS KR HS1940