A Dutch sex killer serving a life sentence in a government psychiatric clinic is allowed to watch porn movies in his room. TV crime reporter Peter R. de Vries revealed on Sunday that child murderer Koos Hertogs is regularly receiving pornographic films by mail. Koos Hertogs was sentenced to life in the early 1980s for the killing of three young girls, but he was also suspected in a number of other murder cases which have never been solved.

Labour and Conservative VVD MPs have asked caretaker Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin to explain his view of the case, given the allegations made by the TV reporter.

In three one-hour reports by Peter R. de Vries it is shown how Mr Hertogs, who had always denied his involvement, confessed in the mid-1990s, following which his prison detention was converted into involuntary treatment in a psychiatric clinic. Suspects sometimes agree to such treatment in order to obtain an early release from prison. The TV reports show how a childhood friend of Mr Hertogs', acting in collusion with the reporter, visited the convicted criminal in the clinic. The old friend is a Dutch ex-criminal who absconded to Thailand many years ago. He was the one who sent Mr Hertogs pornographic material at his request.

Natalee Holloway
Peter R. de Vries used a similar infiltration method last year to elicit a confession from Joran van der Sloot, the main suspect of the disappearance of US teenager Natalee Holloway on the Caribbean island of Aruba in 2005.

Mr Hertogs' lawyer tried last week to prevent the airing of the TV report on Sunday, but the judge rejected the request, arguing that the suspect was not shown. It is expected that the lawyer will make a second attempt, aimed at blocking the showing of episodes two and three.

More murders
The reports apparently reveal that Hertogs told his old friend what he knew about two other girls in The Hague region who were raped and murdered. A senior magistrate of the Hague court is accused in the TV report of having helped the suspect. Following the showing of the first episode, the Public Prosecutor has ordered Hertogs to be removed from the psychiatric ward and to be jailed anew.

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