A Belgrade court has sentenced the parents of a teenage boy who killed nine students and a guard at his school to 14 and 15 years in prison respectively, in a landmark case that has reignited debate across Europe about parental responsibility for juvenile crimes.
The shooter, then 13, used his father's legally owned handguns in the May 2023 attack at Vladislav Ribnikar primary school. The father was convicted of illegal possession of weapons and endangering public safety, while the mother was found guilty of failing to secure the firearms. Both received sentences at the high end of legal limits.
Prosecutors argued that the parents’ negligence directly enabled the massacre. Evidence showed the father kept weapons in an unlocked closet and had taken his son to a shooting range on multiple occasions. The mother, a doctor, admitted she rarely checked the child’s bag or online activity.
The trial, lasting 18 months, drew intense media scrutiny. Victims' families demanded maximum punishment, while human rights groups warned against criminalising parental oversight failures. The court nonetheless ruled that the parents' actions represented a “gross dereliction of duty with catastrophic consequences”.
Across Europe, the case has become a flashpoint for discussions on juvenile justice. In France, President Macron called for a review of parental liability laws. Germany’s justice minister proposed mandatory gun safes with biometric locks. The European Commission signalled it would consider recommending uniform standards for safe storage of firearms.
Serbia, which has some of the laxest gun laws in the Balkans, has faced particular pressure. The attack prompted mass protests and a government crackdown: over 15,000 unregistered weapons were seized in subsequent amnesties, and licensing rules for gun owners were tightened. Yet critics argue the underlying culture of gun ownership remains unchanged.
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child issued a statement warning that “punitive approaches to parents should not substitute for systemic reforms in mental health support and gun control”. Serbia dismissed the comment as unwarranted interference.
Legal analysts note that the verdicts may set a precedent for holding parents criminally liable for actions of minors, particularly in cases involving access to lethal weapons. Similar trials are pending in Italy and Poland, where parents of adolescent offenders face charges for negligence.
In Belgrade, the prison sentences were met with approval from many citizens. “Finally, someone is held accountable,” said Milica Petrović, whose niece was wounded in the attack. “The shooter is too young to be tried, but his parents are not.”
The convicted parents, Vladimir and Milica Kecmanović, maintain their innocence and plan to appeal. Their lawyer argued that “no parent can monitor every action of a child” and that the sentence was “politically motivated”.
The shooter, now 15 and held in a psychiatric facility, was deemed unfit to stand trial due to his mental state. Reports suggest he remains deeply traumatised and has not expressed remorse.
As Europe grapples with its own school shootings and youth violence, the Belgrade verdict offers a stern warning: the law may now hold parents as accomplices in their children’s worst crimes.
