Antwerp (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Hans Van Themsche, 36, has been in prison for 18 years for a racist shooting in Antwerp in 2006 that killed two people. He recently went for a psychiatric evaluation.
Hans Van Themsche, who is now 36 years old, has been in prison for 18 years. He was found guilty in 2006 for a shooting in Antwerp that was driven by racism, which killed two people and seriously injured another. His case is one of the most well-known in Belgium because of its racist motives. Van Themsche aimed at people from foreign backgrounds, which resulted in him getting a life sentence.
Will Hans Van Themsche move to a psychiatric hospital after 18 years?
Last week, for the first time since he was imprisoned, Van Themsche was allowed to leave Oudenaarde Prison. This leave was not for a visit but for an interview to see if he could be moved to a psychiatric hospital, which provides special care for inmates with mental health issues. The name of the hospital he visited has not been revealed. This step could mean a change in how the justice system deals with his case and might lead to a chance for him to reintegrate under stricter mental health support. However, any future decisions will depend on the evaluation results and whether the hospital can meet his needs.
Van Themsche has asked many times to get an ankle monitor or to go to a psychiatric hospital. Recently, the court finally allowed him to leave for an interview to see if he could be admitted to such a hospital, which is an important step for him to rejoin society. Earlier this year, Laurence van Brée, the mother of Luna, who was killed, said she wouldn’t stop him from being released or going to a hospital. She believes he knows what he did was wrong and thinks it happened in a moment of madness. While she doesn’t support his release, she also won’t stand in the way of it.
