Tenuously related prison photo which could explain the shortcut excuse.

From The Irish Independent, one has to wonder if the “taking a shortcut” explanation is a rather feeble cover for some other befarious activity :

A mayor in Germany helped rescue a man who became trapped in a women’s prison.

Mayor of Hildesheim Henning Blum heard the man’s cries for help while passing by the prison near the city centre and notified police, who came and freed the 24-year-old. The man told police he was strolling through town and did not immediately notice he had walked into a prison. Police said they are investigating why the prison gate was open.

The last line there reminds me of the old joke about the sudden appearance of a hole – police are looking into it.