The teenagers from Heerhugowaard and Den Helder tried out on a Friday evening in August 2024 to set fire to eight different places in Alkmaar. In the De Mare shopping center they set fire to a neck pillow and placed it between the store shelves. Not much later, the KiK clothing store was on fire.
Both girls are considered less responsible. The Public Prosecution Service wants the initiated treatments to be continued. The judge imposed a conditional juvenile detention of 90 days on them, with supervision, mandatory treatment and a ban on contact between them. In addition, the oldest will receive 50 hours of educational punishment and 120 hours of community service, of which 80 will be conditional. The youngest receives 120 hours of community service.
And it doesn’t end there. They have to be together Repay 130,000 euros to victims. For the youngest, the parents are still responsible for her share of the compensation.
How is the damage amount determined?
The actual damage costs are higher than the total amount of compensation submitted by victims. How is that possible?
“Some of the victims have submitted a claim for material damage through the criminal case. If an award is granted, without an appeal, this is immediately paid out by the State and the convicted person must pay it back,” a spokesperson for the Public Prosecution Service explains.
“Through civil proceedings or through the insurance of victims, they may incur additional debt,” says Elwin Boskma, lawyer for both girls.
Why do the parents have to pay?
In the Netherlands, parents are automatically liable for damage caused by children up to the age of 14. From the age of 14, responsibility is shared between parent and child, and from the age of 16 it falls entirely to the child.
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