Cornelis van Hout (18 August 1957 – 24 January 2003) was a Dutch criminal and mastermind of the kidnapping of beer magnate Freddy Heineken.
During the abduction, Van Hout collaborated with Willem Holleeder, Frans Meijer, Martin Erkamps and Jan Boellaard.
On 19 February 1987, Van Hout and Holleeder were both sentenced to eleven years in prison, with deduction of the time they had already spent in confinement.
Shortly after his release Van Hout was jailed once again, this time for four years, for his role in a drug smuggling ring.
[6] In July 2019, his former friend and brother-in-law Willem Holleeder was convicted and sentenced to life for his involvement in a series of murders, including ordering the assassination of Van Hout and the manslaughter of a person who was accompanying Van Hout at the time of the assassination.