A man who took four nightclub staff hostage for several hours tried for years to seek help for his serious mental health difficulties, a court has been told.

Corné H. apologised to his victims through his lawyer and consented to undergo psychiatric and psychological examinations following the incident on March 30.

The 28-year-old went into Café Petticoat in Ede, Gelderland, as it was closing in the early hours of a Sunday morning and told staff he was carrying explosives. He held the owner and three bar staff captive and demanded €10,000 in cash and immunity from prosecution.

The seven-hour siege ended when H. released his captives and gave himself up after negotiating his surrender with police by telephone. He was armed with several knives in the café but no explosives, the court heard.

During the procedural hearing, his lawyer, Petra Breukink, said the incident had been a cry for help and H. had not intended to leave his victims traumatised.

“He is not somebody who rejects treatment. On the contrary, he has been crying out for help. At times he is scared of himself. He requested a care order himself, but was shown the door.”

Post-traumatic stress

Breukink said H. had explicitly asked to extend his apologies to his victims and their families. “In the conversations I had with him the sense of guilt and remorse were paramount,” she said. “He knows as well as anyone what it is like to live with a post-traumatic stress disorder and that saddens him.”

Prosecutor Sandra Leusink said H.’s parents had contacted police as soon as they realised he had been involved in the hostage taking. He was suffering as a result of post-traumatic stress and an autistic spectrum disorder and had experienced abuse in the youth care system, Leusink said.

A further procedural hearing was scheduled for October 1 to prepare for the full trial on December 10.