Incest monster Josef Fritzl has been granted conditional release from a prison for the mentally ill by an Austrian court, as he is pictured outside of jail for the first time.
The 88-year-old was allegedly already spotted outside of jail – where he is serving a life sentence – enjoying coffee in several local cafes this week.
Now a photograph of Fritzl – taken through a window of a police van as he was bundled through the back of the Landesgericht District Court at 7.20am today – has also emerged, in what would be the first photo of him on the outside in years.
Fritzl – who changed his name to Mayrhoff in an alleged attempt to evade physical attacks by other inmates – was locked up in 2009 after he admitted to raping his daughter Elisabeth and fathering seven children with her.
He kept her captive in an underground dungeon for 24 years in one of the most heinous crimes ever to have been reported in his native Austria.
Incest monster Josef Fritzl has been pictured for the first time outside of prison in 15 years as be bids for parole
Josef Fritzl is seen during day four of his trial at the country court of St. Poelten in 2009
It was reported yesterday in local media that he was spotted at coffee shops near his prison in Krems an der Donau, apparently in preparation for his release.
Respected regional weekly newspaper Bezirksblatt has claimed that Fritzl ‘has been seen in different cafes of Krems’.
A Bezirksblatt editor who has been covering the Fritzl case for many years confirmed multiple sightings of the depraved convict sampling coffee.
‘It is true. I’ve been told by several people I fully trust that they have seen him,’ she said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
‘It’s not as if just one resident has been convinced they saw Fritzl. I’ve got this information from several trusted acquaintances independently from each other.’
The sightings came as a bid to free Fritzl from the secure psychiatric wing came to a head. After 15 years behind bars, the perverted pensioner will become eligible for parole in March of this year under Austria’s lenient sentencing laws.
Inmates judged ready for parole can be freed depending on their conduct, mental and physical condition.
Fritzl, who has repeatedly asked to be released, is set to have his case reviewed by justice and prison officials.
As well as suffering from Alzheimer’s disease he is also said to be so frail he needs a walking frame to get around.
Adelheid Kastner, one of Austria’s most renowned psychiatrists, said Fritzl was no longer a threat to society and would be incapable of carrying out any crimes.
But being allowed out of prison under supervision for short trips would be a first step to getting a long-term prisoner acclimatised to the outside world.
Social media users have been horrified by the news.
One netizen, Karin Strasser, said: ‘He suffers from dementia but can go to have a coffee? Something’s wrong here.
‘Day parole after such an atrocious crime? This is totally incomprehensible.’
Another user, Wird Sein, argued: ‘It’s irrelevant whether someone is still posing a threat or not. The crime has to be punished.
‘He does not regret anything. His daughter was imprisoned for 24 years. He served just 15 years in a rather comfy prison cell.’
And Andrea Breithuber said: ‘I’m sickened by the fact that this creature is allowed to walk around. What has become of our country?’
Fritzl brought children’s clothing and lingerie with him on his trip to Thailand
Fritzl, his cell window pictured, changed his name to Mayrhoff in an alleged attempt to evade attacks by other inmates
The street on which Elisabeth was held in a basement for more than 20 years
Fritzl pleaded guilty to rape, false imprisonment, manslaughter by negligence and incest
Fritzl has reportedly applied for an early release several times in the past two years.
His lawyer Astrid Wagner, who last year published a book based on a series of his letters, told Newsflash a new life in a care home is ‘within the bounds of possibility’.
She said: ‘I personally see a chance for a release. He fulfils all the criteria.
‘This man is almost 90 years old and his mental condition is deteriorating. He is in need of support and care.’
Psychiatrists and medics continue to monitor Fritzl’s condition.
Ms Wagner explained: ‘It is possible to normally communicate with him most of the time. However, there are these odd lapses.’
In one of these so-called ‘lapses’, Fritzl reportedly said he expected his abused daughter Elisabeth to marry tennis ace Boris Becker.
‘One day he told me how happy he was about his daughter’s marriage to Becker. The next time I saw him, he told me they had broken up,’ Ms Wagner said.
‘He is polite and very charming. Josef Fritzl is only human, not a beast. He is a man who has not mastered his inner demons.’
Elisabeth lived in this dingy, cramped basement for 24 years with her children
Elizabeth and her kids lived in the basement of the family home in Amstetten while Fritzl and his wife Rosemarie lived above
After 15 years behind bars, the pensioner will become eligible for parole in March
In a case that shocked the world, Fritzl locked his daughter in the basement of the family home in Amstetten while he and his wife Rosemarie lived above.
Fritzl repeatedly raped and abused his daughter who gave birth to seven children.
One, who died at birth with breathing difficulties, was heartlessly tossed in a furnace by Fritzl.
Three were brought up in the basement with their mother, while three others were brought up as foundlings by Fritzl and his wife.
In his trial in 2009, Fritzl pleaded guilty to rape, false imprisonment, manslaughter by negligence and incest.
While awaiting his release, Fritzl recently had a shocking encounter with a man who believes the abusive monster is his father.
The visit, first revealed by the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung, was later confirmed by a justice official.
The unnamed man claims his mother once had an affair with Fritzl.
It is currently unknown if Fritzl will be asked to undergo a DNA paternity test.
Meanwhile, his daughter Elisabeth has changed her name and receives support from the authorities in protecting her identity and the wellbeing of her children.
Judicial officials have refused to comment on the report that Fritzl has been allowed to visit local coffee shops in preparation for a release.
