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some of the persons involved are still at large…”. On 28 May 1998, the High Court
upheld the District Court’s order.
2.5 On 28 May 1998, at the request of the complainant’s counsel, the prison doctor
reported on her state of health. The doctor had treated the complainant on 15 and 28
May 1998, and the emergency service physician, a crisis therapist, on 22 May 1998.
The report concluded that the complainant appeared to be close to a psychotic
breakdown……The inmate’s condition can fully be explained as the result of
incarceration and solitary confinement. I most urgently recommend that solitary
confinement be discontinued promptly and that it is considered whether alternative
placement can be found that will enable the inmate to have more association with her
children. I find the inmate’s health threatened and will monitor her closely.” This
report was produced in the High Court, when it considered the complainant’s appeal
of the District Court’s order of 26 May 1998. On 29 May 1998, the complainant was
admitted to the County Hospital of Nykøbing, Zealand. She discharged herself the
next day, as she wanted to be near her children.
2.6 On 18 June 1998, the complainant’s solitary confinement was terminated. On 19
June 1998, the prison physician forwarded another report to the Chief Constable of
KaIundborg. It stated, “it is of the utmost importance that Ms Jensen’s solitary
confinement is terminated; this should on health grounds have been done already, and
I understand that the solitary confinement was terminated yesterday evening”. Finally,
he refers to a report of the same date from a psychotherapist, in which he “must
clearly express Ms Jensen’s need not only for getting out of solitary confinement, but
also for being released from prison during the further investigation, until the final
judgment. Otherwise, all parties involved must anticipate an unnecessary spontaneous
psychotic condition that will affect Ms Jensen for the rest of her life.” These reports
were produced during a hearing before the District Court on 22 June 1998. The Court
established that the complainant was no longer held in solitary confinement but
ordered the extension of the pre-trial detention period until 20 July 1998. It also
ordered, with the complainant’s consent, that she should be examined as an outpatient by a forensic psychiatrist during the rest of her stay in prison.
2.7 On 9 July 1998, the consultant of the Department of Forensic Psychiatry of the