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Hague Court Sentences 15-Year-Old in Planned Attacks as Prosecutors Seek Prison for Man Who Recruited Children for Port Drug Run

Court findings highlight Snapchat chats with call records as proof of recruitment of vulnerable youths.

Overview

  • The Hague court imposed 290 days of youth detention on the 15-year-old, with 120 days suspended, and ordered 100 hours of community service.
  • The teen was convicted of preparing a paid leg shooting in Rotterdam, attempting serious injury with a knife in Capelle aan den IJssel, and entering a restricted area of the Rotterdam port, all committed with others.
  • Judges cited phone data and Snapchat messages showing recruitment and detailed instructions for address, transport and bringing a knife, while experts identified a mild intellectual developmental disorder affecting his resistance to online pressure.
  • In a separate case, prosecutors demanded 18 months in prison, of which six months suspended, for a 29-year-old accused of recruiting a 13-year-old girl and a 16-year-old boy to extract drugs at the Rotterdam port.
  • According to the OM, the man contacted the teens via Snapchat, drove them from Amsterdam, sent a message saying there could be no refusal, promised payment that was not made, and was arrested with them in his car without a valid driver’s license.