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Intern at German prison faces hefty bill after sending photo of master key to friends

The Local Germany
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Intern at German prison faces hefty bill after sending photo of master key to friends
ILLUSTRATION - Zum Themendienst-Bericht von Amelie Breitenhuber vom 4. Februar 2019: Eine der Herausforderungen bei der täglichen Arbeit mit Gefangenen ist der Zwangskontext: Die Inhaftierten sind nicht freiwillig im Gefängnis, einen Schlüssel haben nur die betreuenden Beamten. Foto: Marius Becker/dpa/dpa-tmn - ACHTUNG: Nur zur redaktionellen Verwendung im Zusammenhang mit dem genannten Text - Honorarfrei nur für Bezieher des dpa-Themendienstes +++ dpa-Themendienst +++

A man on a work placement at a prison in the state of Brandenburg was immediately dismissed from his internship after sending friends a photo of the prison's master key via the messenger service WhatsApp.

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The man now faces paying a bill of up to €50,000 after Brandenburg’s justice ministry had to pay for the immediate replacement of 600 locks in the prison, Bild newspaper reports.

A photograph of a key could provide enough information for a skilled locksmith to be able to replicate it, leading the prison to fear that keys could be smuggled through to the inmates.

The justice department received a tip off that the intern had shared a picture of the master key for the JVA Heidering prison at the end of February. “A large number of cells and corridor doors had to have their locks changed,” a spokesman told Bild.

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Some twenty prison guards worked into the early hours of the following morning to ensure that all the locks were changed.

The prison is situated just outside the city boundaries of Berlin on the southwestern edge of the capital.

“The internship ended with immediate effect and the intern was issued with a ban on entering the building,” the spokesperson said.

SEE ALSO: Seventh prisoner escapes from Berlin jail within a week

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