The TBS prisoner who escaped in Halsteren last week had previously been convicted of threatening him with a gun. He has various disorders, according to the court ruling. He was admitted to the GGZ at Vrederust but ran away ‘because he wanted to go to his girlfriend’, says his lawyer.
While fleeing from Hulten, the man (27) was hit by three police bullets and ended up in hospital with serious injuries. The images of the crash and the bullet holes in the windshield of the (civilian) police car made an impression last week.
“That looked very scary. But he only had an air gun with him with which you can only shoot iron balls, just bought in a shop somewhere. He did not shoot with it. That impression was created for days. He was still there on Friday was remanded in custody for longer on suspicion of attempted murder or manslaughter. That is bad,” says his lawyer Ronald Drenth. Because then it was already clear that the suspect had not shot.
On Tuesday, the Public Prosecution Service in Breda reported that the charge is now: ‘threatening police officers with an object similar to a firearm’. He will be in pre-trial detention for at least another 14 days.
Research
“The car he fled with? That was just his own car that was parked there on the Vrederust grounds,” says Drenth. According to the lawyer, the man wanted to visit his girlfriend but was not allowed to leave the clinic. So he decided to force open a window.
The police investigation into this suspicion of threat is in Breda. The National Criminal Investigation Department is investigating the shooting by the police.
Zeeland man
More and more is known about the man. His name is Jan-Meendert C. and he is from Zeeland, born in 1996 in Goes. The man had a clean criminal record and was treated for aggressive behavior towards family members, according to a judgment by the Zeeland-West-Brabant court.
On Sunday, June 27, 2021, things got out of hand. An argument broke out at home with his parents in Goes. The suspect pulled out a converted alarm pistol and pointed it at his family members. The man said that no one was allowed to leave and that everyone had to put their phones on the table. But his brother intervened and tried to take the gun.
Bullet hole
A fight broke out. The gun went off near the brother’s head. A bullet hole was later found inside a child’s seat. The man fled.
Outside, he pointed his gun at a policewoman and a neighbor. The suspect jumped into a car. His father tried to stop him and he reportedly ended up on the hood. According to the Public Prosecution Service, he even drove into his own father. The suspect was quickly caught and detained.
Autistic
Psychiatrists and psychologists examined him and made a diagnosis. The man had persistent autism spectrum disorder, a learning disability and was moderately depressed.
The risk of recurrence was considered high. That is why the advice was to help and guide him for a longer period of time and to learn to deal with his disorders: peace, structure and meaning.
‘Tbs necessary’
The suspect was declared less accountable, as became apparent during his trial last spring in Middelburg. The court imposed six months in prison. In addition, the judges found the TBS measure ‘necessary’.
Not with compulsory nursing, but ‘under conditions’ as they say. The judge imposed about 17 conditions, such as keeping agreements with the probation service, cooperating with home visits and treatment. “He wanted to be helped himself,” says Drenth. The judges also determined that there should be long-term supervision after his TBS.
Furthermore, the man was given a contact ban and was not allowed to visit his parents in Goes or family in Werkendam.
The court determined that he should be included in an FPA or FPK. These are departments at the mental health service such as at Vrederust, with lighter security than in the ‘real’ TBS clinics.
The escaped man was injured last week when police shot at him: