A notorious sex criminal is on the loose in Germany after tunnelling out of his cell using a spoon, a broom handle and a chair leg.

But a photo of him cannot be released to the public – because it would offend HIS human rights.

Thomas Schmidt, 25, dug a hole then knotted his bedsheets to use as a rope to climb to freedom from his third floor cell, fastening it to the steel mesh of the cell window above his break-out hole.

Jailbreak: Thomas Schmidt used a bed sheet to lower himself out of his cell window, pictured, and flee the prison

It was nearly ten feet short of his destination – the parapet wall – so he jumped into the courtyard and climbed another wall to freedom.

But the razor wire lining the wall at Hamburg’s Remand Prison did its job and he was seriously cut – police later followed a trail of bloodspots from the prison to a nearby underground station where he is thought to have fled on a train.

Tim Angerer of the city justice department said: ‘The fireworks display is always accompanied by loud cheers and whistles inside the jail.

‘This also helped him in his efforts to get away undetected.’

Schmidt also took advantage of a major triathlon event in the city over the weekend which meant that numerous police officers who could have been looking for him were deployed elsewhere on crowd duties.

Distraction: Escaped criminal Thomas Schmidt took advantage of the fact authorities had to divert resources to police huge crowds which has gathered in the city to watch the Triathlon World Championship, pictured, in Hamburg

Schmidt is a notorious sex criminal with multiple offences behind him. He was on remand for breaking into a pensioner’s flat in June, assaulting her and breaking her wrist.

He is also aided by a bizarre rule stipulating that he picture cannot be released to the public because of data protection laws governing his ‘personal rights’.

Only if a full police search fails to find him can authorities put out a picture of him.

Justice spokesman Angerer said: ‘We must abide by the Federal law.’

It was not immediately clear when aurthorities would decide whether or not the police search should be called off and the public asked to help.