Urgent hunt for killer who stabbed her own mother to death after she escaped from hospital
- Laura Van Marle, 43, is described as about 5ft 7in, slim, with blonde hair
Police have launched an urgent hunt for a killer who stabbed her own mother to death after she escaped from a hospital at around 5:10pm yesterday.
Laura Van Marle, 43, was on escorted leave when she threatened hospital staff with a weapon before making her escape which has sparked a nationwide search.
A helicopter and specialist units have been deployed in the Wellington area of Somerset – members of the public are urged not to approach her.
She is described as about 5ft 7in, slim, with blonde hair with members of the public urged to call police immediately if they see her.
Van Marle was previously detained under the Mental Health Act and given an indefinite hospital order by the courts in 2021 for killing her mother Susanna Van Marle.
Laura Van Marle killed her own mother in the dead of night by stabbing her seven times in the chest while she lay in bed
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: ‘Laura was on foot and is known to walk long distances, so may have left the Wellington area.
‘She may also be travelling on public transport, and has links to Herefordshire.
‘Laura is considered to be in mental health crisis and may pose a risk to herself or others.
‘Laura was on foot and is known to walk long distances, so may have left the Wellington area.’
She was last seen wearing a white vest top, grey denim shorts and black trainers.
A court heard previously how Van Marle killed her own mother in the dead of night by stabbing her seven times in the chest while she lay in bed.
She travelled more than 150 miles to the quaint Herefordshire village of Cradley where her parents lived as she listened to voices in her head telling her to kill.
Worcester Crown Court heard Van Marle said she was ‘evil’ as she stabbed her mother to death at the Cradley home using a kitchen knife.
Laura Van Marle (pictured), 43, was on escorted leave when she threatened hospital staff with a weapon before making her escape
Prosecutor Richard Smith QC told court Susanna Van Marle’s last words to her daughter were ‘you’ve killed me’.
Mr Smith said Susanna Van Marle had been asleep in bed with her husband as her daughter let herself into the house using a spare key kept in the garage.
She had travelled more than 150 miles from Dorset, where she had been living an open-air alternative lifestyle, to carry out the killing.
Mr Smith said Van Marle felt it was the right thing to do in order to put her mother out of her suffering, believing ‘Satan was taking over the world’.
He said that Van Marle had suffered with severe mental health issues since 2010, which doctors believed to be schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Her father was able to lock his daughter out of the house until the police arrived and Van Marle was arrested and said her actions were due to an ‘inner message’.
Kate Bex QC, defending, said Van Marle was of previous good character, and thought what she was doing was an ‘act of love’ due to her mental health.
Van Marle pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Sentencing at the time, Judge James Burbidge QC said the killing was committed in ‘the dead of night’ and Van Marle used ‘stealth’ to sneak into the family home.
He said Van Marle’s parents had always been as supportive as they could be, which was ‘part of the tragedy of the case’.
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