After the confession of former nurse Theodoor V. (31), the Public Prosecution Service (OM) pulls a string. But it is still unclear whether the tangle of V.’s history can be unravelled.
On Thursday it became clear that the man from Veenhuizen may be involved in the death of at least twenty corona patients in the Wilhelmina Hospital in Assen (WZA), between the spring of 2020 and 2022.
At that time, V. was a pulmonary nurse in the corona department and in that capacity he performed actions that cost the lives of at least twenty patients. At least, that is his statement to aid workers. He says that the patients suffered unbearably and on that basis he single-handedly decided life and death. V. explained this to mental health care practitioners in Drenthe, from whom he sought psychiatric help.
‘Confession outside the hospital’
A controversial development in a case that could just grow into one of the largest ever in the Netherlands. One that, according to professor of criminology Jasper van der Kemp of VU University Amsterdam, already starts with a “remarkable confession”.
“Cases of doctors and nurses killing patients usually come to light because colleagues noticed that a colleague was unusually present at deaths. Or that they observed deviant behavior in the doctor in question. In this case, it starts with a confession outside the hospital.”
‘Not concerned with finding the truth’
It is not clear what exactly V. said in the therapy room at the GGZ and how that conversation went. But it is certain that one of his practitioners took his story so seriously that the healthcare organization, after long deliberation and legal advice, decided to violate medical confidentiality and to inform the hospital. Soon after, the police were called. The violation of medical confidentiality also gives the case a remarkable twist, say two criminologists who were consulted. Not unique, but remarkable.
That is mainly due to the role of the practitioner, says Van der Kemp. “A therapist is not concerned with finding the truth. For example, if a patient says that his mother used to abuse him, then that is his experience and he should be helped. It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not.”
Book outside
Although there are exceptions to medical confidentiality, Peter van Koppen believes that the therapist has gone beyond his book. Van Koppen is emeritus professor of Legal Psychology at VU University Amsterdam and an authority in the field of expert witnesses in the Netherlands.
“As a patient you want protection. If I say I’m going to kill my mother tomorrow, the therapist should go to the police to avoid suffering. But if I say I killed my mother, the therapist has to shut up. You don’t do truth-finding in the therapy room.”
Follow-up research needed
It is obvious that V.’s confession is not hard evidence. There are too many ifs and buts for that. According to Van Koppen, a personality test is necessary to assign value to V.’s story. His story demands interpretation. That largely depends on how the interrogation went. There are subtle interrogation methods that can lead to a false confession.”
With the follow-up investigation, the police will focus on interrogations, V.’s data carriers, medical records of deceased patients and duty rosters to discover any similarities with V.’s confession. Did he keep a diary? Could he have filmed his actions?
‘No colleagues who sounded the alarm’
A complicating factor is probably the lack of contemporary evidence (evidence collected at the time when V. was active, ed.), says Van Koppen. “Never have his colleagues sounded the alarm. The administration of the hospital will be examined. But that is not always well maintained. And if he administered lethal drugs, he most likely did not record it. In these kinds of cases, there is often a problem of proof, apart from a statement.”
Yet it seems that the Public Prosecution Service has more in its hands. Both the Public Prosecution Service and the judges see “sufficiently serious objections” to detain the former nurse longer. It is unknown on what evidence these serious objections are based. In fact, V.’s statement is only the start of the criminal investigation. In the coming months it should become clear how much can be proven about V’s remarkable confession.