Two violent TBS officers from Halsteren who fled. One killed a 75-year-old woman, the other escaped and ended up in a shootout with the police. And all this in one week on the Vrederust estate. An institution where people with problems are normally helped in silence and behind closed doors. What happens every day at Vrederust and where could things go wrong?
In a remote corner between the still green trees of Vrederust there is a dead end road. Turn the bend and there is the entrance to De Mare. ‘Crime scene’ on this Thursday. In front of a parking lot are police officers in plain clothes, with a recognizable badge around their neck and a female officer in uniform.
One has a suitcase that you often see at the technical investigation department, for traces, so to speak. ‘No comment’ and they like to stay out of the picture.
There is little noticeable unrest on the estate, it seems like a day like many, with visitors and residents and staff coming and going. Few walkers, but that may be because of the showers. And yet it has been hectic again.
Shot
A resident of De Mare, a TBS patient, escaped from De Mare around noon. Or as they say in that world; a ‘tbs prisoner’. How and why and for what he was treated is still unknown. But he seemed armed. After a long chase on the Brabant roads, he was shot in Hulten.
The escaped TBS prisoner belonged in De Mare. That is a Forensic Psychiatric Department, or ‘FPA’ for short. The GGZ Westelijk Noord-Brabant at Vrederust has two of them. De Schelde, on Hoofdlaan, is also one of these. The Scheldt is open and looks like an ordinary residential complex, without fences. De Mare is something completely different.
Power wire
Low-rise buildings, hidden in the forest. Security is clearly visible. ‘An intercom upon entry, fences with electric wire and cameras’, the GGZ reports on the website. It is a department for 30 residents spread over four units. Men and women.
It is not a TBS clinic. There are none in Brabant. There are eleven TBS clinics in the Netherlands. A TBS clinic is a completely closed, highly secured complex. An FPA like in Halsteren is more of a ‘light version’. But with TBS patients, but as clients of the Mental Health Service. Just like at De Woenselse Poort in Eindhoven.
To get used to
These TBS patients are people who are often at the end of their treatment. They are allowed to get used to the outside world more and more. Often with treatment for psychiatric problems or addictions.
These clinics provide a ‘channel function’ between the justice system and mental health care, according to a brochure. “We believe that, even if you have done things that are unacceptable, you can (re)take control of your life. We will work with you to see what this requires and how this can be achieved.”
Therapy
TBS has existed since 1928. On average, it employs more than 1,500 people. It is not a punishment but a treatment. Sometimes it lasts a lifetime, sometimes a few years. Two TBS prisoners from that group are now in the news. Little is known about the escaped man.
We know more and more about Elias M. (31), who allegedly killed a woman at Vrederust last week. He had been out of jail since May because he was doing better, according to information from the court and the Public Prosecution Service. He also almost certainly stayed at De Mare. And something went wrong with him too.
For the time being, there does not seem to be any connection between the two cases, except that the men both lived at Vrederust and possibly together under one roof.
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75-year-old woman killed: suspect (31) was in a mental health institution