Homeless Woman Who Terrorized Jihlava Hospital Remanded in Custody

A district court in Jihlava has ordered the pretrial detention of a homeless woman who spent months terrorizing a local hospital — attacking staff and patients, vandalizing restrooms, and repeatedly violating a ban on entering the area. The ruling came after police detained her on Monday evening as she was returning from Třebíč to Jihlava.

According to state prosecutor Ivo Novák, police submitted materials to the prosecutor's office justifying the need for her arrest, and on Wednesday morning a motion for pretrial detention was filed with the court. "Given that the accused repeatedly engages in both violent acts and obstruction of enforced decisions, there are grounds for preventive detention," Novák told reporters before the hearing. After nearly an hour of proceedings, the court granted the motion.

While waiting for the hearing, the woman made no effort to restrain herself, hurling insults at journalists. According to the prosecutor, she also unleashed a torrent of abuse at the police investigator, though she refused to give a statement. During the hearing itself, however, she answered questions calmly — the situation only escalated after the ruling was announced and she realized she would remain in custody.

Question of Psychiatric Treatment Postponed

The court did not address the possibility of compulsory psychiatric treatment at this hearing. "That issue may come up later, but right now we needed to put a stop to her repeated unlawful behavior," the prosecutor explained. In his view, she does not qualify as a patient with a mental illness in the strict sense.

Attacks at the Hospital and on Public Transport

According to the prosecutor, the woman attacked people without provocation, caused disturbances, and repeatedly ignored a ban on entering the Jihlava district. "Police have already notified her five times of suspected obstruction of an official decision, yet she keeps coming back to the restricted area," Ivo Novák noted.

The petite woman, known for her heavy makeup and pink sneakers, had a particular fondness for the Jihlava hospital — she would clog and disable its restrooms, among other things. In May, she attacked a nurse in one of the wards. Over the weekend, a video from May began circulating on social media showing her hurling abuse at staff and patients in the oncology ward for nearly fifteen minutes straight. Because of her frequent visits — during which she repeatedly put restrooms out of commission — the hospital has stepped up security specifically because of her since July.

In addition, on July 29 the woman attacked a passenger on a trolleybus in the city center, striking her on the thigh and leaving a bruise that left the victim in a state of shock.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz