Dutch crime reporter Peter R de Vries has received an Emmy Award, the most prestigious US television prize, for his film about the disappearance of US teenager Natalee Holloway. The 18-year-old student from Alabama disappeared without trace after a night on the town while on vacation in Aruba. In the film, a man who had befriended the main suspect Joran van der Sloot, talked at length with him in a Land Rover equipped with hidden cameras. During the conversations the suspect gave a detailed account of how Natalee Holloway lost consciousness and possibly died on the beach, and how he disposed of the body. 

Peter R de Vries started out as a journalist for national daily newspaper De Telegraaf in 1978 but soon began specialising in crime reporting. In 1987, he became editor in chief of a tabloid weekly which he turned into a crime magazine. In 1991 Peter R de Vries starts working as an independent crime reporter for a number of newspapers and magazines in addition to presenting his own tv crime show Peter R de Vries, crime reporter.

The programme was repeatedly instrumental in the arrests of major criminals and, at least in one case, in the release of two wrongly convicted prisoners. However Peter R de Vries' confrontational methods and his close association with top criminals have also led to controversy and accusations of sensation-seeking and addiction to publicity.

The Dutch newspaper AD recently characterised him as a "workaholic, pit bull, but most of all people's hero." However, de Volkskrant approached the matter from a different angle, arguing that "criminal law is not a television show". In a commentary, the paper wonders "what happens when journalists use methods ... the police aren't allowed to, and the Public Prosecutor's Office uses the findings... Crime reporters should not get involved with detective work and trial by media".

'Case solved' claim
Mr De Vries accepted the award in New York together with Natalee's mother Beth. They dedicated the award to Natalee's memory. Mr De Vries' film was watched by seven million viewers in the Netherlands, nearly half the population.

One of the reasons for the large numbers of viewers was Mr de Vries' prior announcement he had solved the case. He refused to reveal any details until the actual broadcast on 3 February. US television network ABC bought the rights to the film and added its own interviews as part of a special broadcast on prime time television: 'The Final Hours of Natalee Holloway'.

Suspect released
At the time the film was made, police already considered Joran van der Sloot a suspect and detained him, but were eventually unable to find sufficient evidence and released him. The film gave new impulse to the stalled investigation into Natalee's disappearance, but did not lead to his renewed incarceration. Mr Van der Sloot's lawyer says the court refused permission because his client stated that his statements to Mr Van der Eem, the driver of the bugged Landrover, were verifiably false. The Public Prosecutor's Office said that the court took into account Mr Van der Sloot's personality disorder, i.e. his being a pathological liar.

However, the Aruban Public Prosecutor's Office says that Joran van der Sloot is still under investigation. The authorities will decide at the end of this year whether there is sufficient evidence to bring him to trial.

The film itself became the subject of controversy when it was revealed that Mr de Vries's associate Patrick van der Eem had a criminal past. He provided Joran van der Sloot with cannabis and was himself sometimes under the influence of cocaine.