Jan Olsson is tormented by the da Costa case

The case of the murder of Catrine da Costa is one of many major investigations that Jan Olsson, former criminal commissioner, has been involved in during his professional life. The case has received new attention with the new documentary series “The Swedish serial murder”. Two doctors, referred to in the media as the General Practitioner and the Medical Examiner, were charged with the murder and acquitted for lack of evidence, but their lives were ruined. They lost jobs and family and one of them, Teet Härm, has lived isolated from the outside world since 1985.

Tormented by the fall

Jan Olsson is now retired, but the case still haunts him.

– When I retired, my wife said that there are two things that you will never stop talking about and thinking about. One is the Quick case and the other is this, he says in Efter fem.

Jan Olsson’s wife was right.

– This has remained. It is mostly due to the endless tragedy that has befallen these two people, he says.

He believes that it is easy to understand the situation of the two men.

– That suddenly everything disappears and you have to live a different life. It feels very unpleasant that they have been exposed. It is a modern form of witch hunting. If you look at how it looked in the 17th century, I think that it is the same feelings that come into circulation among people, says Jan Olsson.

Tunnel vision in an investigation

In the early 1980s, the violent gang in Stockholm had a good clearance rate.

– But there can be tunnel vision in an investigation, you look at the things that are useful for the suspicion and ignore things that go in a different direction, says Jan Olsson.

He came into contact with the investigation around 1984.

– I was at the police station and then a colleague came up and said “do you know that Teet Härm is suspected of murdering and dismembering a prostitute?” It was a strange feeling, I knew him very well and had worked with him. I thought he was very good. Then Teet Härm came up to me and said that “I have not received any information from the police about what it is about”. I said I can’t take responsibility for that, I was quite dismissive, maybe he was a murderer. I stayed away.

Didn’t get a hearing for his suspicion

A few years later, Jan Olsson examined the forensic material and analyzed it.

– I found nothing in the material. I went in thinking I was good at this, I thought I should be able to find if they are guilty or not. But I found nothing that pointed in their direction. Then the doubts started to come.

– When I presented it at the workplace, I got the answer that “yes, they are so cunning, they are messing with us”.

When asked if Jan Olsson believes that something similar can happen again, he replies that it cannot be ruled out.

– When an investigation is led by someone who is authoritarian and points in a certain direction. You must always be critical and question, then you get the truth closest.

Voices have been raised for the two doctors to now subsequently receive an apology and compensation.

– In a way, they have already been vindicated with the documentary, says Jan Olsson.