Escaped from prison

Two women escaped from Josefstadt prison

Extensive renovation work is currently taking place at the Josefstadt correctional facility.(Bild: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)

First three inmates tricked their guards during medical visits in Lower Austria, now two escapees from the Vienna-Josefstadt prison are being sought.

According to reports, several unfavorable factors played a role in the escape of the two inmates. Due to the huge refurbishment (some of the gate guards have been moved into containers, please note) and the shortage of staff during the main holiday period, the inmates assigned as guard room cleaners - a convicted offender still serving a sentence until 2027 and a suspected fraudster in pre-trial detention - were able to sneak into the visitors' room on the floor below.

There, they put on casual clothes left outside in the ladies' toilet by at least one of their fellow offenders - and walked to freedom disguised as "visitors".

Series of miscarriages of justice in the previous year
At the end of last year, a series of miscarriages of justice made headlines. In addition to a seriously ill woman, a 16-year-old Afghan - who mocked the rule of law in freedom with Instagram pictures until his re-arrest - and a Chechen ex-MMA fighter with Islamist tendencies serving time for aggravated robbery escaped during hospital checks in Lower Austria.