Dutch prosecutors seek suspended sentence for Vught prison hostage-taker

The Public Prosecution Service is demanding a 12-month suspended prison sentence, with a two-year probation period, for Corné H. He is accused of holding staff hostage in the Vught Penitentiary Institution (PI) in December.

The incident took place on December 5, within the Psychiatric Penitentiary Center (PPC) at the PI Vught. According to the prosecution, H. used two knives during the hostage-taking. He initially refused to return a paring knife given to him for cooking, then grabbed a second knife to control the staff members present. Three employees were held hostage for hours, while others were threatened.

H. was already in Vught PI for a previous hostage-taking incident involving four people in a café in Ede in 2024. He had been sentenced to TBS (psychiatric treatment) but was awaiting placement in a TBS clinic due to capacity shortages. He has since been admitted to a TBS clinic.

The prosecution seeks a suspended sentence because an actual prison term could disrupt his TBS placement, potentially increasing the risk of reoffending. The sentence demand "explicitly considered" H.'s current situation, particularly his psychological issues, which include PTSD, auditory hallucinations, autism, and past suicide attempts. H. has had run-ins with law enforcement since he was sixteen.