After incidents in the Meßdorfer Feld Why dealing with the "Rasselmann" is complicated
Bonn · The so-called "Rasselmann" (rattle man) has repeatedly scared pupils and parents. Perhaps the man needs help. But that is not easy.
Police have been called out several times to deal with the man. He is often seen on the Meßdorfer Feld. Witnesses describe him as scruffy, and they are frightened by the man's shouting, wandering around barefoot and playing with rattles. This has earned him the name "Rasselmann" (rattle man) among the local population. Witnesses have also observed him dancing, muttering to himself or talking to animals.
The man is also well-known to the municipality, as it has now announced in response to an enquiry from the GA. He is being extensively cared for by various specialised services. For reasons of data protection, the municipality could not give any further information.
As reported, a father intervened when the man prevented a girl from cycling through the Meßdorfer Feld. The father reported that the "Rasselmann" chased him and shouted after him. He filed a complaint and the police are now investigating. The father says what he experienced on the Meßdorf field was frightening. He worries whether his daughter and other schoolchildren will still be able to get to school safely. He does not agree with the police's assessment that the man is harmless, which is what the officers say they found out during several operations.
Michael Schormann, who is head physician in the psychiatric department of the LVR Clinic in Bonn, can understand parents' concerns. But he also says: "It is difficult to assess how dangerous the man is." Based on the reports about the "Rasselmann", Schormann thinks it is quite possible that he suffers from a mental illness. For a more precise diagnosis, it would be necessary to examine the man, for example in a psychiatric clinic.
As a rule, a general practitioner or a registered psychiatrist issues a referral to a clinic. For most patients, this happens voluntarily. There are high legal hurdles to people being admitted to a clinic against their will. If someone commits a crime due to a mental illness, he or she can be placed in a forensic hospital by the court – this is called a "Maßregelvollzug".
With its walls, cameras and barred windows, the Forensic Psychiatric Clinic of the Rhineland Regional Council (LVR) in Cologne-Porz resembles a prison. In Bonn, the LVR clinic has only two forensic wards, which are less secure and where the offenders who are housed can also sometimes go out. The aim of the "Maßregelvollzug" is to treat the patients and at the same time to ensure that they do not commit any more crimes.
Society has a hard time dealing with cases like "Rasselmann", says medical doctor Schormann. What the case also shows him is that there are gaps in the care system. Possibly other social institutions could also help the man, and perhaps no psychiatrist would be needed for this at all. For Schormann, one thing is certain: For psychiatric therapy to be successful, those affected must be willing to be helped. It does not work against their will.
Schormann also points out that mental illness only leads to violence in a fraction of those affected. This could be the case with severe psychoses, for example, when the affected person hears voices telling them to act. Addictive disorders could also lead to people becoming more aggressive, impulsive and thus more dangerous.
The justice system has dealt with the "Rasselmann" case several times
According to the Bonn public prosecutor's office, the "Rasselmann" has so far been sentenced to a fine once because he put up a fight when police officers tried to arrest him after he had not obeyed an order to leave. The man's mental state was not an issue in the trial. The public prosecutor's office also dealt with three charges of assault, which were dropped. In two of the cases, it referred to the possibility of a private prosecution.
Volker Fritze is president of the Bonn Lawyers' Association and is familiar with the legal hurdles for involuntary hospitalisation. According to the law, this is possible if mentally ill persons endanger themselves or others considerably, especially if criminal offences occur or are imminent. He does not see this as being the case with the "Rasselmann".
What the "Rasselmann" does is more in the area of "socially undesirable behaviour". "There are few rules for that," says Fritze. " I can understand that the situation is unpleasant for the parents." He considers it difficult to determine when the point is reached at which people can be admitted to a specialised clinic against their will and have to stay there. He thinks it is important that there are high hurdles for this in Germany.
Original text: Dennis Scherer
Translation: Jean Lennox
