Public Prosecution Service demands a one-year suspended prison sentence for hostage-taking in the Vught PI

The Public Prosecution Service is demanding a conditional prison sentence of twelve months – with a probation period of two years – against Corné H., who took employees hostage at the Vught PI in December last year. That’s what the Public Prosecution Service makes on Monday known in court.

The hostage situation took place on December 5, within the Psychiatric Penitentiary Center (PPC) on the grounds of the PI Vught. According to the Public Prosecution Service, H. used two knives for the hostage situation. He did not want to return a potato peeler that had been given to him for cooking. He then grabbed a second knife to restrain the employees present. Three employees were held hostage for hours, others were threatened.

H. stayed in the PI in Vught because of a four people taken hostage in a cafe in Ede, in 2024. He was sentenced to TBS at the time, but due to shortages in TBS clinics he was still in the PCC of Vught. H. has now been staying in the TBS clinic for a month.

Due to the admission to a TBS clinic, the Public Prosecution Service wants to keep the sentence conditional. A prison sentence could mean that H. has to interrupt his TBS admission to serve the sentence. That could increase the chance of recurrence.

According to the Public Prosecution Service, H’s current situation was “explicitly taken into account” in the sentencing decision. “In particular his psychological problems.” H. has PTSD, hears voices, has autism and has attempted suicide in the past. At the age of sixteen he first came into contact with the police and the judiciary.