13-year-old suspected of murdering elderly man and committing over 40 thefts runs away again, repeats crime

Photo: 192.rs, Private archive

Z. N. (13), who was detained yesgterday because he and a 16-year-old committed several thefts in Novi Sad, was handed over to the Center for Social Welfare in that city. Namely, he had already ran away from the center once, after he was in Tovarisevo (where the murder of a 75-year-old man took place) with his younger brother V. N. (10), on April 14.

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He has now run away from the Center for Social Welfare again, and committed a new crime.

According to unofficial information, the boy committed another robbery.

The brothers could not be placed in a closed institution because they are younger minors, and therefore not criminally liable, and they used that fact to escape from the Center for Social Welfare

The police established that after the first time they ran away, the minor brothers committed 32 thefts and attempted thefts. Z.N. is now suspected of having committed at least nine more serious thefts and four attempted serious thefts throughout Novi Sad, together with a friend.

Institutions are powerless because the boys are under 14. It is obvious that the absence of criminal liability also entails the absence of fear of punishment, and this time the boy ran away from the Center for Social Welfare less than 24 hours after he was placed there again, and immediately committed a new crime. Every attempt to remove them from the streets has so far been futile.

Proceedings against the mother

As Telegraf.rs was previously told by the Higher Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad, pre-trial proceedings are currently being conducted and no decision has yet been made in this case by the prosecutor.

"Regarding the minors, for whom there are reasons to suspect that they participated in the event in question (murder), several criminal charges have been filed for property-related crimes. However, criminal proceedings cannot be initiated and conducted against them because they were not 14 years old at the time of the commission of the criminal act, and regarding the reported events, the guardianship authority was being regularly notified, in order to take measures under their jurisdiction."

The prosecutor's office also said that the boy's mother could still be held accountable.

"Proceedings have been initiated against the mother of the minors before the Basic Public Prosecutor's Office in Novi Sad. It is suspected that she committed the criminal act of neglecting and abusing a minor, and this concerns both children," added the prosecution.