Court orders psychiatric supervision for 85-year-old who attacked neighbor with axe
A court has imposed mandatory psychiatric treatment under conditions on an 85-year-old woman from Hellevoetsluis who attacked her 82-year-old neighbor with an axe, leaving her severely injured. The sentence, known in the Netherlands as TBS met voorwaarden, was handed down after the court found the woman, A. de N., guilty of attempted manslaughter but mentally unfit for prison, AD reports.
The attack occurred last year. According to the court, De N. struck her neighbor repeatedly and forcefully in the head with an axe, fracturing her skull, jaw, and eye socket. After the assault, she ran inside and called emergency services, telling the operator, “I have murdered my neighbor.” First responders later found the victim still alive but suffering from serious injuries. Months after the attack, she continues to experience pain from the wounds.
Despite the severity of the crime, De N. will not serve a prison sentence. Forensic experts concluded that she suffers from paranoid delusions focused on her neighbors. A court-appointed psychiatrist and psychologist stated that De N. believed her neighbors were constantly causing noise and unpleasant odors, although none of those complaints were said to be grounded in reality.
Evidence presented in court included a notebook that De N. had maintained since 2009. In it, she documented grievances against her neighbors and wrote down repeated wishes to kill them. She had previously been prescribed medication for her delusions but had allegedly stopped taking it, leading to a return of her symptoms.
The court ruled that TBS was necessary to ensure that De N. continues her medication. Under the imposed conditions, she must report regularly to probation services, who may also visit her at home if necessary. If she violates the terms or refuses to take her medication, the court can order her admission to a psychiatric clinic.
De N. is prohibited from approaching the home of the victim, meaning she cannot return to the house in which she lived for more than 40 years. She has also been ordered to pay 19,011 euros in damages to her neighbor.
