He was only 15 years old but already recruited peers and even older boys to carry out criminal jobs. And not minor ones: he recruited a 16-year-old boy to stab someone and to shoot someone in the leg. On Thursday, the young suspect appeared before the juvenile court.
The boy who was supposed to carry out the jobs died when the gun went off at school. During the investigation into his death and the origin of the weapon, the police tracked down the 15-year-old suspect. Various chats revealed that he acted as an intermediary between the client and the perpetrators and provided remote assistance during the execution. For example, the deceased boy had tried to stab someone a week earlier. The 15-year-old suspect sent someone to drive him to the intended victim and gave tips and instructions: Really stab him man bro. In the leg really.
After this assignment was completed (the intended victim narrowly stepped back and was not hit by the knife), the 15-year-old suspect came up with a new assignment: a legday in Rotterdam. On the street, this means someone must be shot in the leg. The suspect arranged transport and again gave tips and instructions. Ultimately, it did not come to execution.
Promoted
The 15-year-old boy was also on trial for an attempted drug heist in the Rotterdam port a year earlier. According to the public prosecutor, it appears that within half a year he had risen from a drug runner to a logistical intermediary. Someone who receives assignments, can arrange perpetrators and provides instructions, transport, and possibly weapons for the execution.
Yet, at first glance, the boy seems like a perfectly normal teenager who does well at school. The discrepancy between the offline and online world is large and rightly causes great concern among all involved.
Sentence demand
Given the seriousness of the offenses (complicity in attempted manslaughter, complicity in attempted serious assault, and drug running), a long prison sentence would be appropriate, but juvenile criminal law allows for a maximum of one year. Part of this is requested by the Public Prosecution Service to be conditionally imposed so that the suspect can still be supervised after detention under the conditions. In addition, a community service order must be imposed so that he can still feel that what he did is really unacceptable.
The Public Prosecution Service demands 360 days of juvenile detention, of which 190 days are conditional, and 100 hours of community service. The court will give its verdict on November 6.
