Incest monster Josef Fritzl has today been granted conditional release from a prison for the mentally ill by an Austrian court, shortly after being pictured outside of prison for the first time in 15 years.
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, images of Fritzl – captured through a window of a police van as he was bundled through the back of the Landesgericht District Court at 7.20am today – have also emerged, in what would be the first pictures 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 and shocking crimes ever to have been reported in his native Austria.
Fritzl has been in prison since his conviction for incest, rape, enslavement, coercion and the murder, by neglect, of his newborn son.
After the court hearing today, Fritzl’s lawyers said he would be transferred from the prison for the mentally ill to a regular prison, which could be the prelude to his complete release from prison, which he is eligible for from March.
His attorney, Astrid Wagner, said after the hearing: ‘We were successful. It was a long hearing. He told again how he regrets what he did.
‘He was actually close to tears. In summary, the court came to the conclusion that my client is actually no longer dangerous.’
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
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 (pictured) and fathering seven children with her
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, has repeatedly asked to be released. 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 were horrified by the news of the sightings.
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 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.’
Local reports also claim that Fritzl appears confused, regularly talks to the TV and believes he is a popstar with hundreds of adoring fans.
Wagner said he completely refuses to believe he has dementia and he sees the fact that he can only hobble around with the help of a walking frame as a ‘temporary circumstance’.
The lawyer said he remains adamant that he is a famous popstar – and the dementia sees him slip into these fantasy worlds for long periods of time.
‘He hardly ever turns on the TV in his cell because he thinks he sees thousands of fans waving enthusiastically at him and demanding autographs from him on all the channels,’ Wagner said.
Fritzl also regularly talks about visits from relatives that never happened.
Fritzl pleaded guilty to rape, false imprisonment, manslaughter by negligence and incest
Elisabeth lived in this dingy, cramped basement for 24 years with her children
Indeed daughter Elisabeth has not had any contact with her father since he was jailed and lives under a new name in an unknown part of Austria with the children conceived during the decades her own father brutally raped her.
Elisabeth disappeared in 1984 at the age of 18 after Fritzl rendered her unconscious with a rag soaked in ether and threw her into his makeshift, underground prison.
She would not reappear until April 26, 2008, when she was discovered in the clandestine cellar beneath the family home in Amstetten, Austria.
The abuse, which began with him rendering Elisabeth unconscious with a rag soaked in ether, culminated in the birth of seven children – three of which remained in captivity with their mother.
One died at the hands of Fritzl, a matter of days after being born. His disposed of the body in an incinerator.
The other three were brought up Fritzl and his wife, Rosemarie.
He was arrested in 2008 on suspicion of incest, rape, false imprisonment and manslaughter by negligence after taking Kerstin, Elisabeth’s eldest daughter, to the hospital.
After the horrific ordeal came to light, there was widespread speculation about Rosemarie’s involvement.
She was never charged, and police quickly cleared her after an interview in 2011.
Elisabeth and her kids lived in the basement of the family home in Amstetten while Fritzl and his wife Rosemarie lived above
It emerged that she was never allowed into the basement where Elisabeth was imprisoned and had no knowledge of her husband’s crimes.
In March 2009, he pleaded guilty to all counts and was sentenced to live imprisonment.
Under the terms of his sentence, Fritzl will be eligible for parole this year.
And that seems likely now after a new psychiatric report into the state of his mind says that the cellar monster is no longer dangerous.
Heidi Kastner, one of Austria’s leading forensic psychiatric experts from Linz University, has reportedly spent a year preparing her new study of Fritzl.
She concluded that the country’s most notorious prisoner no longer poses any danger, and that there is no longer any risk of him carrying out any criminal activity.
Wagner, backed up the 28-page report from Kastner, and claimed that she wouldn’t be afraid to live with him as he has no sex drive.
The lawyer, 60, told Bild earlier this month: ‘Fritzl is completely harmless today. I wouldn’t be afraid to move into a shared apartment with him or live in a home with him. He has no sex drive anymore.’
She told the newspaper that he keeps himself away from others, except for her and his only friend Alfred U., [/news/article-7007533/Murderer-killed-dismembered-prostitute-using-remains-make-GOULASH-jailed.html]a cannibal murderer who was jailed for life for dismembering a Hungarian prostitute and making goulash from her body parts.
‘He barricades himself in his solitary cell, watches a lot of TV, grows tomatoes, writes about his life as an electrical engineer. He sunbathes through the bars, does gymnastics, cares a lot about his figure and wants to live to be 100,’ Wagner said.
Kastner believes he could be transferred through the normal prison system at the Krems-Stein jail, as part of a first step towards being released.
At the very least, it is understood that Kastner feels there is no reason to hold him in a facility housing the most dangerous offenders, on account of his age and frailty.
However, due to his poor condition, Kleine Zeitung reports that due to his poor health, there are questions over whether moving him to a new prison is sensible.
It is more likely that he will be transferred to a nursing home, his lawyer said.
Kleine Zeitung also reports that while its have been noted he often makes incoherent remarks, he has also spoken about having an unknown son.
After 15 years behind bars, the pensioner will become eligible for parole in March
This, the newspaper reports, could have some grounding in reality.
It reports that a man from Austria contacted Fritzl a few months ago and said that he was his father. The report says Frtizl had an affair with the man’s mother, which would coincide with the date of the unknown son’s birth.
Zeitung said a DNA test could be undertaken to establish the truth of the matter.
Judicial officials have refused to comment on the report that Fritzl has been allowed to visit local coffee shops in preparation for a release.