Two teenagers aged thirteen and fourteen have been convicted of causing the fatal Arnhem flat fire during the turn of the year. They are not sentenced because there was no intention, as the court in Arnhem decided on Monday.
The minors, who were 12 and 13 years old at the turn of the year, lighted fireworks in the hall of the flat. Two sofas left there by a resident caught fire.
The Child Protection Board recommended that no punishment be imposed because they could not have estimated the consequences. Both boys feel very guilty about this and they still struggle with the consequences of the events. Both had no criminal record or behavioral problems.
According to the Child Protection Board, a sentence would seriously harm them in development. The court agrees and declares the duo guilty without imposing a sentence.
The Public Prosecution Service (OM) had previously asked for 60-hour community sentences for the boys. According to the public prosecutor, this was said to be intentional. The court does not agree with this. “The boys have not knowingly accepted the significant chance of a fire. According to the court, the boys have acted considerably carelessly and inattention. So they are therefore to blame for the fire.”
Family went down the elevator
The family went down the elevator at the time of the fire. They may not have noticed a fire raging on the ground floor due to the smell of fireworks every year.
What happened next is not yet entirely clear. An initial study commissioned by the housing corporation by a research bureau has been carried out has shown that there were no construction faults that contributed to the fatal events. The elevator has probably continued to operate.
The victims may have been attacked by fire when they arrive on the ground floor. “In that case, the victims managed to close the elevator door again. After that, the elevator went to the third floor, either by an action by one of the persons in the elevator, or by another resident on the upper floor pressing the elevator button. has pushed, “said the study.
Father (39) and son (4) were killed by the development of smoke, mother and daughter were seriously injured. The surviving relatives will receive a total of € 90,000 in affection damage. This is a compensation for a neighbor’s grief. Children can only be held liable in civil law from the age of fourteen and both boys were not yet at the time of the fire. With that, their parents have to pay the fees.
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