A German court has ruled that the parents of a 15-year-old girl cannot prevent her from having a sexual relationship with her 47-year-old uncle, according to reports.

The teenager, named only as Josephine due to German privacy laws, made headlines when she ran away with her uncle at the age of 14.

When the couple was discovered in France by police, Josephine said she had chosen to run away and was in live with the older man, who was her uncle by marriage.

Josephine's parents reportedly sought a court order to prevent her from being in contact with her uncle on the grounds that it put her welfare at risk.

But the teenager challenged the order and won, with the court ruling that at 14 her own wishes must be taken into account, according to the Telegraph.