“In serious cases like this, you usually make a report according to lex Maria, which will happen in this case,” says Ola Broström, chief physician at Stockholm County’s medical district.
The suspect has previously been assessed as suffering from a serious mental disorder and has been subject to compulsory care on several occasions in recent years.
According to a doctor, the man has on one occasion “been very violent and aggressive” in connection with his relapse.
The man has admitted that he murdered a woman in her 30s after she got off a bus in Märsta last Sunday evening. He is said to have randomly selected his victim.
Be credible
In mid-February 2023, a decision was made to end compulsory care. The decision states, among other things, that the patient was credibly positive about continuing and received medication regularly.
The criteria that form the basis of compulsory care were judged not to be met, according to documents that TT has seen.
Broström cannot comment on the specific case due to confidentiality, but states that the matter will be investigated and reported according to lex Maria.
“The investigation will help us understand the background to the incident and whether there are measures that can be taken to prevent this type of incident from happening again,” he says.
“Extremely Unusual”
Similar events are extremely rare, according to Broström.
— It is extremely rare for mentally ill patients to commit such serious crimes, thank God. Most serious crimes that occur in society are committed by people without any serious mental disorder.
— Persons who commit serious crimes may suffer from various mental illnesses, but rarely of such a dignity that they constitute a serious mental disorder in the sense of the law.
Broström emphasizes that the vast majority of people who are subject to compulsory psychiatric care are cared for because they are mentally ill – not because they are dangerous to society.
— It’s because they need help and the goal is always voluntary care and for these people to return to society. There are also strict requirements for forced care because it is a major intervention in the individual patient.
The murder suspect’s lawyer has previously stated that his client requested contacts within psychiatry.
— It has emerged during the police investigation and is primarily my client’s information. At the moment I cannot give an account of when he has done it or in what frequency, says Mikael González.