A 17-year-old boy from Steenbergen has been given a prison sentence of 2 years and a compulsory tbs order. According to the court, he and his one year younger brother stabbed 15-year-old Tim van der Steen to death. This happened in Middelburg at the beginning of January. The younger of the two brothers will receive the maximum juvenile detention of 1 year and juvenile TBS.
The juvenile TBS is initially valid for three years. The measure can be extended for several years. His older brother lived with a foster family in Steenbergen before his arrest.
‘Both involved in stabbing’
Just like the Public Prosecution Service, the judge in Middelburg considers it proven that both brothers were involved in the fatal stabbing. Tim, who comes from this Zeeland city, was found seriously injured and he died three days later in hospital.
The brothers were only arrested a few days later. The police immediately had a picture of the two, but could not arrest them sooner because it was unclear where they were. They turned out to be staying with their mother in a house in Middelburg.
‘Cause of debt of 50 euros
According to the Public Prosecution Service, the brothers killed the boy ‘with premeditation’. The victim was stabbed 17 times. The reason would be a debt of 50 euros to the brothers. “The two suspects had a plan together to take Tim’s life. They had made an appointment with him for this purpose,” the prosecutor said during the trial.
The Public Prosecution Service therefore wanted the eldest of the two brothers to be tried as an adult, Omroep Zeeland reported earlier. This is remarkable, because the suspect was sixteen years old at the time of the murder.
READ ALSO: Murder of 15-year-old Tim: OM wants to try Steenbergenaar as an adult