Ede café hostage-taker apologizes; Pleaded for better mental healthcare before incident
The man who took several victims as hostages at a bar in the center of Ede offered his apologies to them in court on Tuesday. Several victims were in court, accompanied by family members. During a status hearing, his attorney argued that the situation was the result of a mentally ill individual receiving inadequate care, poor monitoring of the impact of prescription changes, and a failure to get placement in a more appropriate treatment center.
Four people were held hostage for over six hours at the Petticoat café during the morning of March 30, and all were freed without physical injury. The confessed hostage-taker, 28-year-old Corné H. from Ede, was apprehended without incident when he surrendered. He was previously jailed for using a firearm to threaten two police officers.
The prosecutor in the case alleged H. had several knives with him that day, and lied to the hostages, telling them he had enough explosive material stuffed in a backpack to damage the neighborhood. He has not been questioned due to his mental state, but this will likely happen on Wednesday or Thursday. His attorneys already speculated in April that H. took people hostage in a desperate attempt to get mental healthcare.
H. himself has an autism spectrum disorder, a cognitive disorder, and post-traumatic stress syndrome, said defense attorney Petra Breukink in court. He also engages in self-harm behavior, and sometimes gets worked up quickly. He then overreacts without thinking, and tends to regret his actions once he cools off, the Telegraaf reported on Tuesday.
Breukink said she was instructed by H. to first address those taken hostage when she spoke in court. "Corné apologizes to his victims," she stated. He understood the damage his actions caused, and has sincere regret for being the reason they may now suffer from post-traumatic stress. "He feels guilt and sorrow for the victims is the main theme."
Knives and threats of explosives during hostage situation
The owner of the cafe previously said H. was in the pub and looked confused and “lifeless” before four employees were taken hostage at about 4:30 a.m. The bar owner had already left the venue for the night, but checked the live stream from Petticoat’s security cameras at 5 a.m. That’s when he saw only his employees, each 19 or 20 years old, kneeling on the floor. He tried calling their phones, but nobody would pick up. He then saw a masked man appear on one of the cameras, and called police at about 5:15 a.m.
The OM said that H. frisked the male hostages, then ordered the two female hostages to frisk each other. They were then forced to remain on the floor with their hands on the wall.
During his negotiations with police, he insisted on a ransom of 10,000 euros in cash and non-violent treatment by police, according to ANP. It wasn’t until 11:30 a.m. that three of the hostages were released. The victims, two women and a man, were shaken up as they walked to a police staging area wearing black hoodies with the Petticoat logo on them. Their hands were raised above their head, and the man and one woman were in tears.
The fourth hostage was released less than an hour later. The hostage-taker then walked out of Petticoat at 12:30 p.m. wearing a balaclava with his hands raised high. H. was taken into custody, his mask was removed, and police blindfolded him before taking him in for questioning.
New behavioral issues emerged after prescription drug changes, parents say
It emerged in court that as the situation unfolded during the ensuing hours, H.'s parents connected the dots. They had noticed behavioral changes in their son after his medication was adjusted. They immediately called police, an act which earned thanks in court from the Public Prosecution Service (OM).
Prior to the incident, H. was residing in an assisted living home that poorly handled prescription changes, said Breukink during the hearing. The OM also acknowledged that the probation services agency also tried to organize better care for H., but also encountered waiting lists.
H. has agreed to undergo questioning in the case, psychoanalysis, and a psychological evaluation. A forensic social worker will also examine the case. Breukink said this was never a situation of an uncooperative individual refusing treatment, but the opposite. He badly wanted sufficient help to treat his healthcare issues, and learn better coping skills.
Desperate for mental healthcare assistance
He was receiving treatment at his residential clinic, but his attorneys already questioned whether H. was getting the care he needed there in April. They said "a hopeless situation arose," telling RTL Nieuws that he was desperate to get "appropriate assistance.”
When H. was convicted of threatening police officers in December, the court suspended 103 days of a 120-day sentence. The probation order was to remain in place if the man underwent psychiatric treatment, and stayed out of trouble for three years.
They already said they wanted to investigate if H. created the hostage situation just to get access to mental healthcare. He never had a direct connection to the Petticoat café. "It seems likely that there is a connection with the client's very long search for appropriate assistance," said Breukink and Willemijn Oosterbaan-van Veen, his attorneys, to the broadcaster. "This appears to have led to the terrible event that we regret for all involved."
The District Court in Zutphen set a brief status hearing for October 1. The trial was scheduled for December 10. All of the victims plan to testify during the trial.
