Double The Crime: The Thief and Murderer Steen Christensen (The Batman Robber)

Scandinavian Crimes (w/ Devante & Delila)

Years of Incident: 1997-2002
Location: Denmark - Finland
Double The Crime: The Thief and Murderer Steen Christensen (The Batman Robber)
Victim(s):  12+
Method: Murder, Fraud, Robbery, Fleeing, Escaping Jail

Christensen was involved in a series of bank heists, where he would enter the banks, brandishing a firearm, and demand large sums of money. His ability to evade capture for a long time gave him a certain level of infamy. His robberies were meticulously planned, and his confidence was apparent in how brazenly he conducted them. He often wore a Batman cap during these operations, hence earning the moniker "The Batman Robber.


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Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
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Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction
• 2:01 Story - Background
• 4:09 Story - The Double Murder Manhunt To Arrest
• 7:49 Story - Conviction And Aftermath
• 11:24 Discussion Section
• 21:28 Conclusion/Outro

Transcript

Welcome to Scandinavian Crimes. My name is Devante and say hello to my lovely co-host, Delila. 

Hi. 

And on this podcast, we talk about famous Scandinavian criminals who made their mark throughout Scandinavian history. So welcome back to another episode. This episode, we're gonna be diving into the story of Steen Christensen, AKA the Batman Robber. This Danish bank robber has a long criminal life with the most famous crime of his being a double murder that served him a life sentence since 1998. So it's been a little while. So, you know, it's gonna be a nice little interesting little difference of a, well, not really, because despite the title, he wasn't running around saying, I'm Batman. So it's disappointing, but it's okay. We're still gonna have a good time. So you already know what I am going to say.

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Grab your tea,(...) grab your snacks. If you're on your way to work, or if you're, you know, just vibing, find a little corner, put yourself in it, and really putting your headphones nice and snug,

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because this is the story of Steen Victor Christensen,

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AKA the Batman Robber.

(Soft Music)

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Steen Victor Christensen, born on October 9th, 1964, has had a criminal career that spans several decades and is marked by significant violence. His criminal life began in 1986, driven by mounting debt from lavish lifestyles together with compulsive gambling addictions.(...) Faced with his financial ruin, Steen turned to bank robbery as a means of resolving his dire economic situation. Over 10 meticulously planned and executed robberies, he managed to steal nearly 700,000 euros.

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Despite his ability to evade fatal violence, his criminal activities were often brutal, leading to a trail of fear and trauma among his victims.(...) Steen later earned his nickname, the Batman Robber, after wearing a Batman cap during a 1992 robbery. By 1992, Steen's criminal activities caught up with him though. He was sentenced to 12 years in Vritzlö, Salile, prison for 95 different offenses that included numerous robberies and hostage taking.

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His criminal record also consists of a rape of a 22-year-old female bank assistant whom he took hostage and tied to a desk before assaulting her. However, his time in prison did little to deter his criminal behavior.

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Instead, Steen continued his illicit activities behind bars by engaging in drug dealing.(...) His involvement in the drug trade led to an additional three years on his original sentence, further entrenching him in a cycle of crime. In September 1997, Steen applied for prison leave. Despite the police's strong recommendation to deny his request due to his criminal history, the director of correctional services overruled this advice and granted him temporary leave.(...) This decision became a critical misstep. Steen chose not to return to prison as required. Instead, he seized the opportunity to escape.(...) He fled Denmark and made his way to Finland where he would continue his criminal pursuits, setting the stage for even more violent and worse crimes. After fleeing Denmark, Steen made his way through Sweden and eventually arrived in Finland. With him, he had a gun and 50,000 Danish kroner.(...) There, he settled into an apartment in Helinsky and attempted to live under the radar. However, when his money ran out, his criminal activities continued unabated.

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On the night of Wednesday, October 22nd, 1997,(...) just before 2.30, Steen executed a brazen robbery at the hotel palace located by the South Quay.(...) Armed with a gun, he confronted the hotel receptionists, forcibly binding their hands and feet.

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With 6,690 finished marks in his possession, he made his escape and headed back to his apartment, which was approximately a kilometer away from the hotel.

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As Steen made his way back, he became aware of an approaching emergency police vehicle. To avoid capture, he took a detour through the Ulalina district.(...) His attempt to evade the police came to an end when he was stopped at an intersection by a patrol car manned by officers Entero Paulo, age 32, and Edo Hosti, age 56. The officers, unaware that Steen was armed, requested his identification. As one officer went back to the patrol car to check for further details, the other remained with Steen.

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Seizing the opportunity, Steen drew his gun and demanded that the officers get on the ground when forced to their knees in a swift and deadly assault, he fired five shots.

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The first shot struck Officer Edo in the back of the head, killing him instantly.

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Officer Entero, who had not yet reached the ground, was shot twice, with one shot hitting him in the back and the other in the head.(...) The other two additional shots fired missed the officers completely.

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Following the brutal murders, a major policeman hunt was launched. The same day, the authorities released a blurred surveillance image and a composite sketch of the suspect to the public, hoping to generate leads.

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The investigation quickly zeroed in on the apartment where the suspect had left behind crucial evidence, including the murder weapon, discarded clothing, and a photograph that resembled him. On the morning of Saturday, three days after the murders, the police released a photograph, along with detailed description of the fugitive, Steen, who had traveled by train approximately 100 kilometers north of the town of Hamilena.

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This information was disseminated to the public in the hopes of accelerating the search for him. A crucial tip from the local pharmacist played a key role in this search. This information guided the police to the Socos Hotel,(...) Vakuna Tvasta Hus, where Steen had checked in using an alias, Kim Anderson.

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By the time the authorities arrived, he had already slipped out through the back exit.

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The police acted quickly, and just 200 meters from the hotel, they successfully apprehended Steen without any further confrontation.

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Upon his arrest, Steen immediately revealed his true identity, marking the end of his brief but intense flight from justice.

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After his arrest, Steen was placed in custody and underwent a thorough three-week forensic psychiatric evaluation at Nuvani Emmy Hospital in Kupio. During this assessment, he was diagnosed with a personality disorder and deemed unpredictably violent, highlighting his dangerous nature.

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Steen's trial began in January and concluded in May, 1998, at the Helinsky District Court.

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The court sentenced him to life imprisonment, reflecting the severity of his offenses.

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The court determined that Steen was entirely in command of his mental faculties at the time of the crime and in addition to the life sentence, he was ordered to pay nearly 275,000 finish marks in compensation. On November 23rd, the same year Steen transferred from Finland to Hersted-Vester Institution in Denmark, Steen was confined to a single room within a highly secure solitary cell, a measure taken to prevent any possible escape, attempts, and enhanced overall security.

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During his time in Hersted-Vester, Steen developed a relationship with a 23-year-old Finnish woman who visited him regularly.(...) Their bond deepened over time and she eventually became pregnant.

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In February 2000, the couple married in a ceremony conducted by the prison chaplain. During this period, Steen voiced complaints about his near total isolation in Hersted-Vester.

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Steen, through his defense lawyers, Peter Hjorn, sued the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Service, arguing that the prison conditions were inhumane and violated the European Convention on Human Rights.

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Steen faced restrictions on visits and interactions with other prisoners. Additionally, the staff monitors him more closely than other inmates.(...) Peter argues that all this could disturb Steen's mental health.(...) Initially, his challenge was dismissed by the High Court. However, in October 2001, the Supreme Court intervened, asserting that it was the responsibility of the court to thoroughly examine whether such extended isolation was warranted.

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On August 3rd, 2000, Steen's solitary confinement was lifted and he was relocated to an open war to accommodate another inmate, Peter London.

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This move marked a shift in his imprisonment conditions, reflecting a reorganization within the facility. In 2001, Steen was transferred to the state prison in Vritz-le-Celile, continuing his incarceration under different circumstances.

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By 2003, after a detailed review, the court concluded that the Correctional Service had not acted inappropriately in Steen's case.(...) This ruling affirmed that the measures taken were within the bounds of legal and procedural standards.

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In later years, Steen has been requesting parole time.(...) The Eastern High Court is currently tasked with determining whether Steen should be granted parole.(...) In February 2021, the court in Glostrup denied his release, a decision that Steen has since appealed to the High Court.(...) This marks his second attempt at parole since 2017.

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Previously in June 2017, the court in Glostrup also refused his conditional release following warnings from the Council of Medical Examiners and the Correctional Service. In response to the double murder committed by Steen, the Danish Correctional Service took action by instituting stricter policies for granting prison leave. These new regulations were designed to address the heightened security risks posed by inmates with a history of violence,(...) ensuring more control over their movements and activities.

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The implementation of these measures underscore the severity of Steen's actions and the necessity for increased vigilance when managing high-risk prisoners.

(Dramatic Music)

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Okay, before we start the discussion, I just wanted to say something.

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So I wrote the script first, and afterwards I found an interview or more like an article by Citi, posted the same year Steen got arrested for, sentenced for his double murder in 1998.

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And this actually gives us a more understanding of how Steen is as a person. And I guess the script is showcasing how the public view Steen, because it's information that the public have published.(...) So that's why I just wanted to say that(...) it's like a completely different person of how Steen is. And I thought that would be interesting to know some other details of his life.

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So based on everything

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that has been mentioned in this script or in the story, it seems that,(...) just feel to me, it feels like he just wants a specific lifestyle that he just can't afford.

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And I feel like he just kind of took the best way out

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which is like, okay, robbery, I get a lot of cash, I can gamble, I can live a free life.

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Because it all seems very money driven to me,

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just based on the information that we have received so far.

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And I also feel like he has this comfort, his criminal life is like his comfort.(...) And I feel like that's why he's just keep repeating it. It's like an endless cycle, it's like wanting to have a free life or like I have a specific lifestyle.

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But also finding comfort in the criminal life. Because he'd been going to jail and like prison and like he did repeatedly repeating the crimes.

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And I just wanted to like understand why. Like why has he just walked into the slope of like negative,

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like endless cycle of crime and like, you know, money and this obsession of money.

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So in the interview, they asked about his family, they asked about his past and he didn't want to talk about it. He felt that, you know, it was very personal and that's why we don't have a lot of information about his past in general. He just did not want to speak about it.

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The only thing that we know,

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let's say he's from Denmark and obviously has a criminal history.(...) And we also know that he, you know,

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he's very close to his father. He's very close to his stepmother, but he has a huge like, I feel like it's hatred against his biological mother.

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And the biological mother had a,

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you know, she was very, like she was an alcoholic and she was also emotionally abusive or abusive in general towards him and the father.

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And I feel like that's why he just completely,

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like it could be a reason why he just spiraled into the lifestyle he has today.

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He loves, however, his current, he loves his father and he loves his stepmother. There's nothing wrong with them. When the parents divorced, when he was 12,(...) his father remarried to the stepmother and she's been like a wonderful person and been like part of the family since. So he doesn't want to involve the parents, the new family,(...) but he's very open about like talking about how he hates the mother.

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And yeah, we already know how abusive a self in a younger age can affect somebody's life. And they also,

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because I don't know.

(...)

It's gonna stop mid sentence.

Yeah, I just got a brain fart.(...) I just, I can't understand what I'm saying.

(...)

You're gonna have to round out that sentence.

(...)

I know.

You gotta give me something to edit.

(...)

So yeah, I don't really know, like, to me it doesn't feel weird that he, like, you know, it's very normal not to be abused, but like have a divorce and everything. But I feel like he just might not have the help that he needed to overcome it.

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And he just went into the slope of like the negative cycle.

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I mean, they did, I will say they did find out that he had a personality disorder, which believe it or not, his actions are actually very,

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I wouldn't say common per se, but it's very on track for what, you know, someone with his diagnosis would have. So believe it or not, I don't think, like him being a bank robber and him doing a lot of the things that he did,

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as tragic as it is, it kind of does make sense.

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And I'm pretty sure it's a possibility that he could have experienced some form of abuse when he was younger. And maybe it wasn't quite, you know, the dad or something per se, could have been related to the mother, who knows. But in reality,

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you know, it's really hard to determine because we don't have anything about him being young, but it seems like it's something negative when he was younger that he's avoiding, which is fueling a lot of his,

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whatever his mental health diagnosis is, which is a personality disorder, which we've seen in other podcast episodes how people can act when they have a personality disorder, when it's untreated.(...) So I think despite all that, I still think they did the right thing when they finally could keep him and they didn't allow him to basically go through with parole and get out early, because it's a possibility that he probably still needs a lot of help.

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We've seen it before, you know, he was probably willing to manipulate, do whatever it takes. Even the marriage, I think to some level, probably isn't what it is on paper. I don't know, I'm not saying that as a fact, that's my personal opinion. But I still think, you know, people with personality disorders, depending on the situation, especially a situation like this, specifically who are arrested,(...) they have to go through a lot of therapy and get a lot of help to, you know, be better. And in some cases it might require medication. And so I think in this case,

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besides the fact that he was able to escape in the first place, which is outlandish to someone like me,

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I think they did okay.(...) Overall, the process was done okay.

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It wasn't the worst we've ever heard, because we've heard some really horrible situations with the police and the system were just garbage. But in this case,

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you know, he called them black in the first time. Then the second time they was like, we're not falling for that again. And they got a hold on him. So,

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I mean, that's pretty much what I have to say.

Yeah, but like, we can actually talk about the whole diagnosis thing, cause I found some very interesting things about that. So according to the mental health evaluation, he was diagnosed with a personality disorder,

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characterized, oh wow.(...) He was diagnosed with a personality disorder characterized by lack of empathy and unpredictable violent behavior.

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But like some things that even the police and the lawyer noted that like he was, when he was arrested that, you know, he was very depressed and remorseful, it seemed like.(...) And like obviously in every case, they have to ensure a fair trial and they have to make a mental evaluation, but Steen like basically, he did not, he opposed any type of examination. He didn't wanna do the test. He didn't wanna deal with the harsh environment of being able to participate in those tests.

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So he said like, no, I don't wanna do this. I don't want to be part of this whole thing.

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And because of that, they didn't really do any testing. Like they did tests, but they wasn't really through all. And in the end, they kind of just like, okay, you have personality disorder, that's it. Without having really fully made any type of like tests or he basically denied everything. So they couldn't really do a proper test.

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So- Yeah, I think in that case,

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he probably knew he already had an issue, which probably was linked to him being, having issues when he was younger.

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So I think he knew.

Maybe you don't wanna admit it.

And he didn't wanna deal with the consequences of what that might entail if he was deemed anything, but I guess relatively okay in the head, or maybe it was just trauma from that experience of having to go through the diagnosis. But it sounds like he was avoiding it because he probably already knew something was wrong.

But he was using that as an excuse of being like, I don't have it because they didn't really do anything because I denied everything. I refused any type of treatment. So I feel like he's using that.

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I feel like that was more of a trauma response, like him just being in denial and trying to maintain that denial. So that's what I think though, personally.

However, I think like, I believe even without fully making any test, I think you can still evaluate somebody's behavior. I don't think that doctors or the psychiatrists

(...)

would be like, "Oh no, we can't determine." They can still see based on his behaviors.(...) Like, I think they can still get enough clues to give that diagnosis still.

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Yeah, and I think that's what happened. They got the diagnosis from, at least what they were able to pull from him. I think that's exactly what happened.

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So even though I still believe like you have to go do a thorough investigation for any type of diagnosis, I still think that, I don't think they just gave it like that without any basis.

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But yeah, so- Not really much to say.

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What? Yeah.

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I was saying very short episode, not much to say. Little reprieve from the longer episodes. So the last four has been like 30 something minutes. So little nice short, sweet, simple to the point story.

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Nothing too crazy.

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So I guess we can,

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anything you're craving, you know, in delicious food, is to co-wrap up the episode.

I crave,

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I guess, I don't know actually, ramen maybe.(...) I've been eating like the same ramen pull from the same restaurant for like two weeks now.

I can go for some, I'm craving ice cream, butter pecan ice cream, but I've just been too lazy to go get it. But that's what I'm craving personally.

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That's all I'm craving, butter pecan, hogging dies ice cream, sounds good.(...) But let us know what you think about this episode. And also if you are listening to this episode last week, there was a video on YouTube, Evil Exposed, like I've said in the other episode.

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So feel free to go check that out. And also let us know what you think about these episodes and what do you think about this case

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on whatever podcasting platform you're on. And please, if you enjoy the podcast, please give us a nice little rating on whatever platform of your choosing.

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I hope you have a lovely day and we shall see you next week.

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Bye. Peace out.