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The Netherlands

Man who threatened Princess Catharina-Amalia to undergo psychiatric evaluation

A man suspected of sending threatening messages to Princess Catharina-Amalia, heir to the Dutch throne, and a friend of hers named Brent, has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation at the Pieter Baarn Centre.

The man, known only as Wouter G., is suspected of sending messages via social media to Princess Catharina-Amalia where he threatened to rape her. He also threatened to kill her friend Brent. The threats were sent in early January of this year. He was arrested at the end of January.

A pro forma hearing took place today in the court of Zwolle where judges decided that he should undergo a psychiatric evaluation at the insistence of the prosecutor. He has previously been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and his lawyer intends to use diminished capacity as a defence. The suspect was present at the hearing via a video call from the prison in Zwolle. He commented that he did not think the additional evaluation to be necessary. He also said that he wrote the messages but deleted them the next day and believed that he did not actually send them.

The next hearing will take place on 23 July, though it is expected that this will also be a pro forma hearing as it is unlikely that the Pieter Baan Centre will have made its report by then. The ongoing public health emergency had increased the waiting list at the centre, and an evaluation takes a minimum of two months in any case.