Man sentenced to psychiatric treatment for stabbing a doctor while in a psychosis

A 39-year-old man was sentenced to compulsory psychiatric treatment (TBS) by a court in The Hague for the stabbing of a general practitioner in The Hague in February 2023. The court ruled on Wednesday that he was in a serious psychosis at the time of the incident and could not exercise his own free will.

Michael R. (39) stabbed the doctor several times in the abdomen and arm at the end of a consultation at the practice on Apeldoornselaan on February 21, according to the Public Prosecution Service. The GP suffered life-threatening injuries and fell into a coma for some time.

In court, the man stated he stabbed the doctor because he felt the doctor was unwilling to assist him. The man had been struggling with complaints for some time and believed he was not receiving the proper help. At the beginning of the hearing, R. apologized to the victim, who was also present in the room, saying, “I could never have imagined myself doing that.”

According to experts, R. is completely unaccountable as he acted utterly under the influence of psychosis and could not make choices of his own free will. The court accepted this conclusion and found the man guilty of attempted manslaughter. Since it was not established that the man had pre-planned the killing, it was not a case of attempted murder, the judges noted.

The judges emphasized that his actions could have resulted in the GP's death. “The victim will be permanently reminded of that day, both mentally and physically, and it remains highly questionable whether he will ever be willing and able to work as a general practitioner again," they stated.

As recommended by the experts, the court decided to impose a compulsory psychiatric treatment, noting the serious nature of the crime. This step was taken to protect the public, especially given the high risk of the suspect repeating the offense. The man must also pay the victim compensation of approximately 75,000 euros for material and immaterial damages.

This sentence aligns with the Public Prosecution Service’s demands. The OM accepted the expert conclusion that the man was not accountable and therefore no prison sentence could be imposed.