The accused is absent - Children hate school - disciplinary order against mother
In a process following the destruction of a school, the District Court of Osnabrück issued a penalty order against the defendant in her absence. The fine amounted to 1,500 euros, a court spokesperson said. Previously, the NDR had reported.
Originally, the judgment against the mother of two boys was supposed to be pronounced on Tuesday, who, along with another child, broke into a school in July 2020 and caused damage amounting to 150,000 euros. However, the woman did not appear for the hearing.
The public prosecutor's office had accused the 44-year-old woman of neglecting her supervisory duties over her then eleven and twelve-year-old children. The children knocked washbasins off the walls, shattered window panes, and defaced walls with paint in the school in Bissendorf near Osnabrück. Eight classroom rooms were destroyed.
Process repeatedly interrupted
Passersby had observed the three students on the roof at the time and alerted the police. The boys were known to the police. They had caused damage amounting to 50,000 euros in previous incidents.
The trial had begun in November 2021, the court spokesperson said. However, it was repeatedly interrupted because witnesses, the defendants, or the children were ill. Since the woman did not appear personally before the court but only her lawyer was present, the court made use of the possibility of a penalty order.
The decision is not legally binding yet: Within two weeks, an appeal can be filed. Then, the court would set a new main hearing date, it was stated.
The defendant in question is a 44-year-old woman from Lower Saxony, commonly referred to as 'Ms.'. During a process in the District Court of Osnabrück, she was found guilty of neglecting her supervisory duties over her children, who committed acts of criminality in a school. The children, aged eleven and twelve, damaged the school to the tune of 150,000 euros, including knocking washbasins off the walls, shattering window panes, and defacing walls with paint. This incident led to a penalty order being issued against the mother, amounting to 1,500 euros, following her absence from the hearing. Before this ruling, the case had been reported by NDR. The police were alerted to the situation by passersby, as they had previously been involved in incidents causing damage worth 50,000 euros.
