An 80-year-old man has been given a 12-month suspended jail sentence and 240 hours of community service for encouraging a young woman to commit suicide.

It is the first time in the Netherlands that someone has been convicted of encouraging another person to kill themselves, according to the public prosecution department.

“The suspect has gone beyond the acceptable boundaries,” the judge in The Hague said in pronouncing the sentence. “He did not limit his role to providing general information or moral support. He gave direct instructions and encouraged her to carry out her suicide, even when she expressed doubts.”

Hans D had encouraged the 32-year-old woman from Bodegraven to end her life using the suicide powder known as “substance X”. The pair knew each other through their membership of the right-to-die organisation Coöperatie Laatste Wil.

Three weeks after their first contact, the woman took her own life.

Although euthanasia is legal in the Netherlands, under six strict conditions, it can only be carried out by a doctor. In all other cases, assisting suicide is illegal.

Other convictions

Last year two members of the cooperative were found guilty of trading in substance X after a wide-ranging police operation.  Both were given suspended prison sentences. In 2023, a man was jailed for 3.5 years, 17 months suspended, for selling the product.

According to suicide prevention organisation 113 Zelfmoordpreventie and Amsterdam’s regional health board, at least 172 people died after taking the chemical between 2015 and 2023. Their average age was 59.

Anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts can talk or chat anonymously with the helpline 113.nl or call the free number 0800-0113.