Vienna/Hamburg - Austrian incest suspect Josef Fritzl tried to make money from his crimes by selling his police interrogation transcripts to British tabloid newspapers, the German weekly Stern reports in its latest edition, to be published Tuesday.

Fritzl, 73, stands accused of imprisoning and raping his daughter, Elisabeth Fritzl, for 24 years in a basement dungeon. He is also charged with murder, as one of the seven children his daughter bore in the dungeon beneath his house died shortly after birth.

According to Stern, Josef Fritzl wanted money to be able to pay off his 3.5 million euros (4.9 million dollars) of debt. He tried to negotiate with the British media through an intermediary, but no deal was made in the end.

In November, parts of the police protocols became public, but many Austrian and international media refrained from publishing details of Elisabeth's ordeals, out of consideration for the victims.

There are no laws preventing Fritzl from selling the document, the prosecution's spokesperson Gerhard Sedlacek told Deutsche Presse- Agentur dpa. "He is not bound by an obligation of secrecy," he said.

Fritzl is expected to be tried in the coming spring and could be sentenced to lifelong imprisonment if the court finds him guilty of murder.

Elisabeth Fritzl, 42, kept a diary during her time in captivity, Stern also reported. The court in Sankt Poelten is keeping the document under seal. (dpa)