Forest boy ‘inspired by Zeitgeist movement’

“In my opinion Robin was never positive about how society worked. He had started to develop alternative theories for the economy and society that would not rely on money any more.”

“It is important that he come back and faces what he left behind here in Hengelo,” said Mr Berfloes. “This is a good place, there are jobs and you can make a good standard of living here. Its not to rich and not too poor.

You can be comfortable but Robin never got it right.

His travelling companion Lex returned from Berlin after apparently suffering a mental breakdown and now lives quietly with his mother. He has cut off all contact with his friends. One acquaintance said Van Helsum had manipulated Lex into travelling to Berlin: “He definitely swept him up in the idea they were going to be revolutionaries.”

At the well-ordered row of terraced houses where Ellen Van Helsum, his now widowed stepmother lives, the emotional scars of his teenage rebellion are evident.

Shouting through the letterbox, the gaunt blonde-haired woman says she wants the whole episode to fade into the past. “I’m an educated woman.

I can speak English and German fluently, I don’t deserve to be treated as the head of a broken home,” she told the Daily Telegraph.

Mohammad Rahim, Van Helsum’s former flatmate, was left with a 800 euro back rent debt when his friend fled to Berlin, said the conflict with his now dead father had been an all-consuming factor during his teenage years .

Having been out into care homes by his father, the system represented a sanctuary from a disturbing world.

“Robin was too similar to his father, he chose to fight and argue with him.

He wanted to be a rebel,” he said. “In Holland you can get yourself into the care system by rebelling. If you have hassles or a lack of money it’s actually not too bad.

“The housing is better and there is a mentor to look out for you, while your parents remain your legal guardian there are structures to protect you.

“Maybe Robin wanted the same in Berlin and so he pretended he was a juvenile.”

With a trail of bad debts and a notoriety from plunging the industrial town into the limelight, Van Helsum must be weighting the difficulties of returning from his German refuge.

German police said that Van Helsum would not be forced to return from Germany, while his social workers are amazed he could keep up the pretence of being an English speaking runaway since September.

“It’s a real achievement,” child psychologist Michael Günter told Focus magazine. “It is not an uncommon phenomenon in young adults, who often escape into a fantasy world when they are going through an adolescent crisis.”

Views: 0

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes