Community service for two men who stole stuffed animals from Amber Alert kids' memorial

Two men have been sentenced to 60 hours of community service for stealing stuffed toys from a memorial for the children Emma and Jeffrey, who passed away after they had been abducted by their father in Winschoten. The men (20) from Leeuwarden and Winschoten appeared in the court in Groningen for a speedy trial on accusations of destruction of the memorial place, and theft. The magistrate ruled that these charges were proven.

Jeffrey (10) and Emma (8) passed away in Winschoten on May 17 after the car that their father had used to abduct them had ended up in the water. The man had indicated in a letter that he wished to harm himself and the children prior to taking them. This led to an Amber Alert being issued and extensive search parties, but it was to no avail.

“Completely reprehensible,” the magistrate said to describe the behavior of both suspects. “This is not okay. This is poor behavior for the family and the local community. I hold both of you accountable for this,” the magistrate added. He said that he had struggled with the punishment. "What can you impose on two brats of boys who may not have what they are supposed to bring upon themselves?"

The Public Prosecution Service (OM) had recommended 80 hours of community service and a jail sentence of 30 days, with 25 days being conditionally suspended against the suspects.

The prosecutor also recommended that Sadeddin N. and Mohamed K. were not allowed to post anything about the children’s deaths or their own cases. “It cannot and must not be the case that the suspects use the deaths of Emma and Jeffrey for likes and views,” the prosecutor said. The magistrate decided to only sentence the men to community service.

The prosecutor said that she did not believe the suspect’s claims that they did not know that the stuffed animals had been placed there in memory of Jeffrey and Emma. They belonged to the relatives, she argued.

A third suspect in the case is a minor. He is N.’s younger brother. His case will be handled at a later stage.