Smirking Josef Fritzl pictured outside jail for first time as he WINS bid to be moved to regular prison amid freedom bid

EVIL Josef Fritzl was pictured smirking today as he dramatically won his bid to be moved to a regular prison - paving the way for his future release after 15 years behind bars.

Fritzl, 88, told a court in Austria today he deeply regretted locking his daughter Elisabeth in an underground cellar, and that he had dealt with the crimes “intensely”.

He is said to have struggled to hear judges deliver their verdict, which will see Fritzl moved from the high-security wing of Stein prison to a traditional wing.

They ordered he must continue regular therapy sessions, which are said to have helped “rehabilitate” the rapist and killer, his lawyer Dr Astrid Wagner said.

Fritzl was sentenced to life in prison in 2009 after locking his daughter, Elisabeth, in the basement of his home in Amstetten for 24 years and fathering seven children with her.

But he could be released to serve the rest of his sentence in a nursing home after developing dementia.

The court in Krems an der Donau heard today he had regularly read the case files on his 2009 prosecution.

The result means Fritzl can now launch another application within a year for his release to a care home.

The hearing was held in a courtroom instead of a prison office, where early release applications are generally heard.

Court chief Ferdinand Schuster told The Sun: “This case was heard in the court as it is of great interest to the media and the public.

“The defendant said he was intending to file another application. 

“It’s impossible to predict the future but maybe within a year another application can be made.”

The monster was pictured arriving at Landesgericht District Court in a police van at 7.20am, accompanied by four police officers.

It comes after he was seen visiting local cafes near his prison in Krems an der Donau just weeks before his release.

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 a dangerous prison, and we need to get him moved to a normal prison so that 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 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 convinced that he dealt very intensively with his actions - like completing therapy and so forth - and he also regrets them very much.”

During his trial in 2009, Fritzl pleaded guilty to rape, false imprisonment, manslaughter by negligence and incest.

The sick monster 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.

DAUGHTER'S NIGHTMARE

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 more than 3,000 times and fathered seven children with her.

The heartless monster did not hesitate to toss the bodies of the children who died at birth into a furnace.

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.

In a cruel twist, he forced Elisabeth to write letters to Rosemarie, claiming she was unable to care for the kids, asking her to raise them.

It was only when Elisabeth's eldest daughter, Kerstin, fell critically ill that her ordeal came to an end in 2008.

In a rare act of mercy, Fritzl allowed Elisabeth to take the 19-year-old to the hospital.

She managed to speak to police revealing the horrors she had suffered throughout the years.

Her first words were "No one will believe me."

Elisabeth’s recorded 11-hour testimony led to Fritzl's sentencing to life imprisonment.

Elisabeth and her children live now under adopted names after going through years of therapy, while Rosemarie, now 84, is believed to be living in a small flat in Linz - around 30 miles from the former Fritzl home.

Meanwhile, Fritzl's physical and mental health has deteriorated.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun through his lawyer last year, Fritzl claimed he would see his family again one day.

He also said he wanted to live to 130 and he was confident he would be able to do so if he drinks enough water.