Andijkers Robert Pit and Ellyn Larson search for justice
Noordhollands Dagblad – Internetpetitie voor Andijker hondje Jansen
By Connie Vertegaal 28-2-2015
ANDIJK – The painting of their deceased dog Jansen was a wonderful and beautiful bright spot. Andijkers Robert Pit and Ellyn Larson could forget about their miserable situation. From impotent rage about it, in their judgment, failing police investigation into their poisoned dog and administering an overdose of medication to the handicapped Robert, the couple started an Internet petition.
The petition has been signed by more than a hundred people. They ask for justice for Robert, Jansen and Jane, the other dog of Ellyn and Robert, who became ill from the poison, but has survived the drama. Ellyn wants to take the petition to the chief public prosecutor. So deep is her frustration about what has happened to her and Robert in the past six months.
Two sad events followed each other. In September Robert, who is bound to a wheelchair by a cerebral hemorrhage, by one of his caregivers was administered an overdose of epilepsy medication. Robert became unconscious and was barely breathing. Ellyn gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and so probably saved his life. When the ambulance arrived, the man ran away.
Ellyn found out four days later that moments before that Robert with his caregiver had taken a large sum of money from his bank account. The money has disappeared. The caregiver was held for three days in November as a suspect, but has since been released and the case has been dismissed. “Because the police did not find the money on him. But it seems to me logical if you wait two months”, Ellyn says indignantly.
Shortly after the release of the man the jack russell dogs Jansen and Jane ate a sphere rat poison that was in the garden of Robert and Ellyn. Jansen died after a few days later of the internal bleeding. Jane was ill, but survived the tragedy.
Goodness
Following an article in this newspaper about the poisoning of Jansen was Nico Haakman at the door of Ellyn and Robert. He had the photo of Jansen, who was in the article, repainted. “We received the painting from him. It was so warm, so fantastic. That has helped us so much to believe again in the goodness of people”, says Ellyn.
What remains is the frustration over the actions of the police. Ellyn and Robert think the caregiver of Robert has the ball of poison placed in their garden. “To threaten us, I think”. But an attempt to link the declaration of the poisoning of Jansen’s to the earlier declaration of what happened to Robert in September, led to nothing. “The police do nothing with it. If the police had immediately taken this seriously, maybe they could have found rat poison on the man. But this is of course now, too late”.
Ellyn points to the evidence in the assault and robbery of Robert. The fingerprints of the man are on the medication bottle. On Facebook, he admits that he administered Robert an overdose. Ellyn has also saved Facebook Chats where the man persuades Robert to get his money from the bank, because he said the money would not be safe there. This evidence has been handed over to the police, but they did nothing with it.
Lies
Ellyn was left out of things. “I didn’t trust the caregiver, but Robert had a good relationship with him. Or let me say, he was very under his influence. They shared a passion for art. When they went to the bank, they said they were going to an art exhibition. All lies. Robert has become easily influenced because of his illness. Robert is an easy prey being disabled. In other countries, this is seen as an aggravating circumstance in the Netherlands apparently not”.
Dangerous
The petition calls to lift the dismissal on the case, to reopen the investigation and to forbid the man from working as a caregiver of the sick and disabled. “This is a very dangerous man. Soon he might make another victim. This should be brought to a halt”.
The petition can be found at: https://www.change.org/p/the-dutch-police-and-prosecution-service-we-want-justice-for-the-victims-of-3-crimes or via Facebook at Justice for Jansen.
Reaction from the police
‘We have made every effort’
ANDIJK – The police have made every effort to clear this case up, as spokesman Leon Veldt put it. “We find this situation very disturbing for these people, but we really can not do more.”
The poison investigation, which caused the dog to die, is no longer possible. It was laying there for a while and other people could have touched it. There are no witnesses who saw anything..
Also the case around the missing money is stranded for lack of evidence. “And without evidence, we can not just go and accuse someone”, Veldt explains. “The evidence that these people have presented has not proved sufficient”.
Ellyn and Robert can start an ‘Article 12’ procedure, which is a request to reopen the investigation. A petition will not affect the outcome, says Veldt.
