Josef Fritzl is seen out of prison for the first time in 15 years as the Austrian incest monster – who has changed his name – makes parole bid

Incest monster Josef Fritzl has been photographed outside prison for the first time in fifteen years as he makes a bid for parole.

The 88-year-old was reportedly spotted outside the prison – where he is serving a life sentence – this week drinking coffee in several local cafes.

Now a photo of Fritzl – taken through a police van window as he was bundled through the back of the Landesgericht court at 7.20am today – has also emerged, in what would be the first photo of him from the outside in years .

Fritzl – who changed his name to Mayrhoff in an alleged attempt to avoid physical attacks from other inmates – was imprisoned in 2009 after admitting to raping his daughter Elisabeth and fathering seven children with her.

He held her captive in an underground dungeon for 24 years for one of the most heinous crimes ever reported in his native Austria.

The court will decide today whether Fritzl should be transferred from the prison for the mentally ill to a regular prison. If the court allows it, it may also decide on a request for his parole from prison.

Josef Fritzl is seen during day four of his trial at the St. Poelten Land Court in 2009

Yesterday, local media reports said he was seen in coffee shops near his prison in Krems an der Donau, apparently in preparation for his release.

The respected regional weekly Bezirksblatt has claimed that Fritzl ‘has been seen in several cafes of Krems’.

An editor of the Bezirksblatt, who has been reporting on the Fritzl case for many years, confirmed several sightings of the depraved convict drinking coffee.

‘It’s true. Several people I trust completely have told me they have seen him,” she said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

‘It is not the case that only one resident is convinced that he has seen Fritzl. I got this information from several trusted acquaintances, independently of each other.’

The sightings came as an attempt to free Fritzl from the secure psychiatric ward came to a head. After fifteen years behind bars, the perverted pensioner will be eligible for parole in March this year under Austria’s lenient sentencing laws.

Inmates who are ready for parole can be released depending on their behavior and their mental and physical condition.

Fritzl, who has repeatedly asked for his release, will have his case reviewed by justice and prison officials.

In addition to suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, he is also said to be so weak that he needs a walker to get around.

Adelheid Kastner, one of Austria’s most renowned psychiatrists, said Fritzl no longer poses a threat to society and would no longer be able to commit crimes.

But being allowed out of prison for short trips under supervision would be a first step in helping a long-term inmate acclimatize to the outside world.

Social media users are shocked by the news.

One internet user, Karin Strasser, said: ‘He suffers from dementia, but can he go for a cup of coffee? There’s something wrong here.

“Day parole after such a heinous crime? This is completely incomprehensible.’

Another user, Wird Sein, argued: “It is irrelevant whether someone is still a threat or not. The crime must be punished.

‘He doesn’t regret anything. His daughter was imprisoned for 24 years. He only served fifteen years in a fairly comfortable prison cell.”

And Andrea Breithuber said: ‘The fact that this creature is allowed to walk around makes me sick. What has become of our country?’

Fritzl took children’s clothing and lingerie with him on his trip to Thailand

Fritzl, pictured in his cell window, changed his name to Mayrhoff in an alleged attempt to avoid attacks from other prisoners

The street where Elisabeth was kept in a cellar for more than twenty years

Fritzl pleaded guilty to rape, false imprisonment, negligent homicide and incest

Fritzl has reportedly applied for parole several times over the past two years.

His lawyer Astrid Wagner, who published a book last year based on a series of his letters, told Newsflash that a new life in a care home “is within the limits of possibility.”

She said: ‘I personally see a chance of release. He meets all the criteria.

‘This man is almost 90 years old and his mental condition is deteriorating. He needs support and care.’

Psychiatrists and doctors continue to monitor Fritzl’s condition.

Mrs Wagner explained: ‘It is usually possible to communicate with him normally. However, there are strange errors.’

In one of these so-called ‘failures’, Fritzl reportedly said that he expected his abused daughter Elisabeth to marry tennis great 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 a man, not an animal. He is a man who cannot control his inner demons.’

Elisabeth lived with her children in this filthy, cramped basement for 24 years

Elizabeth and her children lived in the basement of the family home in Amstetten, while Fritzl and his wife Rosemarie lived above it

After fifteen years behind bars, the pensioner will be 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 it.

Fritzl repeatedly raped and abused his daughter, who gave birth to seven children.

One, who died at birth with breathing difficulties, was callously thrown into an oven by Fritzl.

Three were raised in their mother’s cellar, while three others were raised as foundlings by Fritzl and his wife.

At his 2009 trial, Fritzl pleaded guilty to rape, false imprisonment, negligent homicide and incest.

While awaiting release, Fritzl recently had a shocking encounter with a man who believes the offending monster is his father.

The visit, first revealed by Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung, was later confirmed by a justice official.

The unnamed man claims that his mother once had an affair with Fritzl.

It is currently unknown whether Fritzl will be asked to undergo a DNA paternity test.

Meanwhile, his daughter Elisabeth has changed her name and is receiving support from authorities in protecting her identity and the well-being of her children.

Court officials have declined to comment on reports that Fritzl has been allowed to visit local coffee shops in preparation for his release.