A 47-year-old defendant escaped from the Coburg district court in Bavaria during a hearing on Monday. The police have launched a major search for the man, said a police spokesman in Coburg. After the escape of a convicted murderer from the district court in Regensburg, this is the second case of this kind in Bavaria within a few weeks.

The court calendar in Coburg scheduled a hearing against a 47-year-old accused of sexual abuse on Monday morning. The father of seven is said to have violated his two daughters. According to information from the "Neue Presse Coburg", the district court only issued an arrest warrant against the man because of the risk of absconding during the hearing 14 days ago.

The police spokesman confirmed that the fugitive was held in Kronach Prison until the hearing continued on Monday. How the escape came about is still unclear. The "Neue Presse Coburg" reports that the man's ankle cuffs were removed while he was going to the toilet. He then used a poorly secured window to escape.