https://www.rtlz.nl/opinie/column/roderick-veelo/de-onvergeeflijke-inschattingsfout-rond-michael-p
Roderick Veelo, reporter and anchor of RTLZ
The unforgivable error of judgment concerning Michael P.
Anne Faber is dead. Her photo has been glued to the inside of my head for two weeks now. The selfie of the girl on the bike in the rain. The plans of the new [ Dutch ] Cabinet are also important, but they felt less urgent than the loss of 25-year-old Anne Faber. The arrest this week of sex offender Michael P.'s arrest this week is causing a rage.
This resident of the forensic psychiatric clinic Altrecht Aventurijn in Den Dolder was not considered to be the main suspect for no reason.
His reputation has been portrayed in the media in recent days and we see a life-threatening madman. Extremely violent, sadistic and without repentance. Wednesday evening Michael P. has indicated the place where Anne was found today.
It is easy to judge afterwards that the probationary leave for Michael P. was an unforgivable miscalculation. But there is no other conclusion.
The error of judgement has cost Anne Faber her life and turned the life of her friend and family into hell. For this reason, anyone whose actions have led to the unaccompanied leave of Michael P. must be held accountable.
We are dealing with someone who 6 years ago was put behind bars by a judge for 16 years. The harsh prison sentence resulted from the horror of his acts and the pride with which he spoke about them. It was the public prosecutor, who managed to get rid of another 5 years in the appeal proceedings.
Michael P. refused TBS [Criminal Insanity Treatment ] and - on his way back to society - ended up at the psychiatric clinic in Den Dolder early this year.
The regime in this clinic is the subject of a report by RTV Utrecht. The images were made 2 years ago as a result of the escape of the firearm-hazardous criminal Ali B. from the clinic.
What is striking is that convicts can walk in and out. "These are quite heavy doors, but they're actually always open," a supervisor says. Also, outside the clinic between the trees, dealers are supplying the criminals with drugs. Another assistant advises young women in particular to avoid the cycle path along the clinic from the moment the sun is setting.
Without any supervision whatsoever, Michael P. was looking for his next victim on Friday evening 29 September - possibly under the influence of cocaine and certainly without TBS treatment.
How do you come to the conclusion that without treatment and repentance, and under the influence of drugs, someone will learn something, become a better person and can one day return to society? In which fairy tales do the board and the mentors of the psychiatric clinic Altrecht Aventurijn believe?
I think it is necessary for the police and the judicial authorities to investigate how the management and staff in this clinic work.
But the Judicial Establishments Service, which granted permission for unaccompanied leave, the judiciary, lawyers and the public prosecutor's office must also be aware of the risks they have taken, which enabled Michael P. to do what he has done.
The relapse among people like Michael P. is huge. Of all convicts who qualify for TBS but refuse to do so, half of them commit a similar offence within two years. This is a considerably higher recidivism than in people who do accept TBS treatment.
Nevertheless, 9 out of 100 Tbs people will reoffend within two years of their release. After those 2 years there will be more.
The price is always paid by unsuspecting citizens. They imagine themselves to be much safer than society is. This is due to protocols that are not sound and the unforgivable errors of judgment. They have already cost too many lives, and today it turns out also the life of Anne.
BBM
