EVIL Josef Fritzl has been pictured for the first time out of prison as he bids for parole after 15 years behind bars.
Fritzl, 88, was bundled in through the back of the Landesgericht District Court in a police van at 7.20am, accompanied by four police officers.
Josef Fritzl was seen arriving at court this morningLouis Wood
The 88-year-old was seen at Landesgericht District Court this morningLouis Wood
Fritzl pictured at Sankt Poelten Prison
AFPThe monster is eligible for parole in March this year[/caption]
It comes after he was seen visiting local cafes near his prison in Krems an der Donau just weeks before his release.
Fritzl, 88, was seen arriving at court for a hearing today, as part of his bid to be moved from the secure psychiatric wing of Stein Prison to a care home.
He was sentenced to life in prison in 2009 after locking his daughter, Elisabeth, in the basement of his home in Amstetten, Austria, for 24 years and fathering seven children with her.
But he could be released as early as March if courts deem him to no longer be a threat.
His lawyer, Dr Astrid Wagner, told The Sun before the hearing: “We are planning to get him released from the prison he is currently in.
“He is in the dangerous prison, and we need to get him moved to a normal prison, so he can be released into a nursing home.
“We have a new psychiatric report that says he is not a danger to anyone.
“He struggles a bit with the dementia, but only a little.
“There was a report that he was out having a coffee but this is not true — because the first thing he would do when he is released is have an Austrian beer.
“He wants to get on with the process — and he is very confident.
“He says it’s in God’s hands but also in my hands.”
Ms Wagner added: “He expects the hearing today to have a positive outcome, but not that he can go home today.
“A new application must be submitted for this.
“This will happen soon, because I am absolutely convinced that he dealt very intensively with his actions – like completing a therapy and so forth – and he also regrets them very much.”
During his trial, Fritzl pleaded guilty to rape, false imprisonment, manslaughter by negligence and incest.
The sick monster who has Alzheimer’s disease, will become eligible for parole in March of this year under Austria’s lenient sentencing laws.
Under local laws, inmates deemed ready for parole can be freed depending on their conduct and mental and physical condition.
Fritzl kept his daughter Elisabeth captive in a newly-built cellar complex, for 24 years, since 1984.
The evil dad drugged and abused his daughter, raped her over 3,000 times and fathered seven children with her.
The heartless monster did not hesitate to toss in a furnace of the children who died at birth.
Three of the children were raised in the basement by their mum while another three were brought up by sick Fritzl and his wife Rosemarie.
Fritzl had convinced his wife their daughter had run away to join a sect.
Thesun.co.uk is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.