The 29th of March, 1951, was the day of the Hypnosis Murders in Copenhagen. This grabbed my attention because my third book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures, The Suggested Assassin, is on a very similar theme. I have been fascinated by hypnosis since watching a stage hypnotist at the Oxford Union in 1979.
On that fateful day, 28-year-old Palle Hardrup (perhaps that’s his motive – excuse pun – ed) entered the Landmandsbanken on Nørrebrogade in Copenhagen. Without warning, he drew a firearm and fatally shot a bank cashier and the branch manager. In the ensuing chaos, Hardrup fled the scene on a bicycle but was quickly apprehended by police after attempting to hide in a nearby building. Eyewitnesses reported that he surrendered without resistance, appearing dazed and detached.
During the investigation, authorities discovered that the bicycle Hardrup used belonged to Bjørn Schouw Nielsen, a former cellmate from their time at Horsens State Prison, where both had been incarcerated for treason after World War II. Their prison records revealed a shared interest in Eastern philosophies, yoga, and, notably, hypnosis. This connection raised suspicions about Nielsen’s potential influence over Hardrup.
Further inquiries uncovered testimonies from fellow inmates and prison staff suggesting that Nielsen had a peculiar hold over Hardrup. Witnesses recounted instances where Hardrup appeared to be in a trance-like state, seemingly acting under Nielsen’s direction. These accounts bolstered the theory that Nielsen had employed hypnosis to compel Hardrup to commit the robbery and murders.
Forensic investigator Roland Olsen, along with psychiatrists Max Schmidt and Dr. Paul Reiter, delved into the possibility of hypnosis being used as a tool for criminal activity. Dr. Reiter, who had extensively researched the subject, posited that an individual could be hypnotized to perform acts against their moral code if convinced that such acts were justified. In this case, it was suggested that Nielsen had manipulated Hardrup over time, using repeated hypnotic suggestions to erode his moral inhibitions and instill a sense of inevitability about committing the crimes.
The court proceedings were unprecedented, as they hinged on the argument that Nielsen had hypnotised Hardrup into committing murder. After extensive trials, Hardrup was sentenced to indefinite imprisonment at the Institution of Herstedvester, while Nielsen received a life sentence. Both convictions were upheld by the Danish Supreme Court, despite debates within the medical community about the plausibility of coercive hypnosis. In 1967, both men were released from their respective institutions. Nielsen died by suicide in 1974, and Hardrup passed away in 2012.
The eerie nature of the Copenhagen Hypnosis Murders has continued to captivate public imagination. In 2018, the case was dramatised in the film “Murderous Trance” (also known as “The Guardian Angel”), directed by Arto Halonen. The movie explores the psychological manipulation involved in the case, bringing renewed attention to this unsettling chapter in Denmark’s criminal history.
This case remains a profound example of the potential dangers of psychological manipulation and raises enduring questions about the ethical implications of hypnosis in influencing human behavior.