"Beautiful service" at Anne Faber's funeral; Den Dolder residents want psych clinic closed

Murdered 25-year-old Anne Faber's family and friends said their last goodbyes to the young Utrecht women in a closed funeral in Nijmegen on Friday. On Sunday a meeting was held for Den Dolder residents living around the Altrecht psychiatric institute, where the man suspected of Faber's murder was arrested, to inform them about the events surrounding Faber's death, NOS reports.

Faber's funeral was held in the Stevens church in Nijmegen. "The church hall was full. It was a beautiful service in memory of Anne", her uncle Hans Faber said to ANP on behalf of the family on Saturday. Anne was cremated after the funeral. The media was asked to stay away from the funeral, to give Anne's family space and privacy to grieve. 

Anne Faber was missing for 13 days when her body was found in a wooded area in Zeewolde on October 12th. Michael P. was arrested as a suspect earlier that week. He was arrested at the Altrecht institute in Den Dolder, where he was transferred to start preparing him for a gradual return to society after serving a long prison sentence for raping two teenage girls. On Friday the court remanded him into custody for another three months. He will appear in court on January 10th for a pro-forma hearing, according to RTV Utrecht.

The meeting held for Den Dolder residents on Sunday, was the first of three such meetings on the schedule, according to NOS. The mayor, police and directors of the Altrecht clinic explained to local residents what happened around Faber's disappearance and murder, and P.'s arrest. Many residents want only one thing, reporter Tanja Braun said to NOS after the meeting, where no cameras were allowed. "That the forensic-psychiatric department be closed. That no people with a mental disorder be admitted in the final phase of their imprisonment."

The clinic eventually does want to leave Den Dolder, but no firm commitments were made at the meeting.

A number of local residents told NOS that they don't feel safe with the clinic in their neighborhood. "I regularly feel threatened", a 19-year-old woman said to the broadcaster. "When I go to school, I'm talked to. I do not know how to respond, because they can be very threatening."

Extra security measures were taken at the clinic following P.'s arrest. For example, more security officers were deployed, as well as additional neighborhood coaches. The municipality Zeist en Aventurijn will reassess the security measures every three weeks.