Sebastiaan O. was sentenced Thursday by the Almelo court to 240 hours of community service for involvement in the death of 12-year-old Bram. The boy died last year in a massive explosion with a hammer blow in Haaksbergen.
38-year-old O. also receives a suspended prison sentence with a three-year probationary period. The judge found him guilty of manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. “The suspect acted in a significantly careless, careless and careless manner,” the judge ruled.
The penalty is considerably lower than that requested by the Public Prosecutor (OM). The prosecutor had asked for seven months’ imprisonment for “gross negligence”. For example, O. kept an excessive concentration of a prohibited explosive powder in his shed.
Bram was walking on the Albert Cuyplaan in Haaksbergen on the morning of 31 December 2021, when O. struck a mixture of potassium chlorate and sulfur in his shed with a hammer. Pieces of metal flew around during the explosion. Bram was fatally shot in the chest. An eleven-year-old friend of his sustained permanent leg injuries.
O. expressed regret about the incident. He thinks what happened is terrible and says he has no idea how it could have happened. “It should never have happened,” he told her. The judge saw that there is sincere regret and that O. never wanted to provoke the situation.
Attorney Sébas Diekstra, who represents Bram’s parents, said in response to the verdict: “It is good to see that the court has been crystal clear about the suspect’s guilt. The relatives hope this is also a clear signal to the company.”
According to Diekstra, the parents have yet to let the sentence take effect. “No punishment could be high enough for them.”
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