Playing with fire lands 11-year-old with million kronor debt

Published: 13 Nov 09 08:20 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/23242/20091113/

Dictionary tool Double click on a word to get a translation

An 11-year-old boy has been ordered to pay 1.9 million kronor ($276,000) in damages after causing smoke and water damage to a Stockholm home, the Aftonbladet newspaper writes.

The boy, who was nine at the time, was visiting another family in the suburb in southern Stockholm when he got hold of a cigarette lighter and proceeded to set light to some paper in a wardrobe with devastating consequences.

The insurance company agreed to meet the costs incurred by the family for the damages to their home - 1.9 million kronor - and then proceeded to sue the boy in court.

The court has now ruled that the boy is responsible for his actions - the debt can not be claimed from the other members of his family.

"According to Swedish law children can be liable for damages to the same extent as adults," said Mårten Schultz, an expert in liability law, told the newspaper.

"The debt is the child's, it is the boy that has to pay up," he confirmed.

While Schultz explained that Swedish law supported the decision he said that he had never heard of someone so young being ordered to pay such a high sum. The figure is usually significantly reduced.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Fark It! Digg This Facebook  Share everywhere
Send to a friend Printable version Twitter This

Your comments about this article:

The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.

09:45 November 13, 2009 by Durai
I am not sure how a small boy can pay this Amount.His parents should be punished for his behavior.

This is totally stupid.
10:15 November 13, 2009 by spy
Perhaps the little chap should file for bankruptcy.
10:42 November 13, 2009 by jose_s
doctors, politicians, thieves, drunk drivers and many others get slapped with jokes of punishments and fines.... the next story will be a one year old paying for burping up his food on some ladie's prada shoes....
10:48 November 13, 2009 by testUserName
At least the Child knows what to do in life. May be like Bollywood movies, become so rich and buy insurance company or become judge himself. what about politician!?

Otherwise may be he could sue the ligther company as it could happen in states!
11:36 November 13, 2009 by foxpur
Oddly, he can't file Bankruptcy till he is 15.
11:40 November 13, 2009 by Dr. Dillner
Poor kid, now he has to face the pangs of puberty and a life of indentured servitude!
13:11 November 13, 2009 by glamshek
Well thas strange. I think that boy would could become very rich later on. Necessity is the mother of invention.

Otherwise the huge fines will have to be cancelled. By the way is it right to fine an 11 year old with such a heavy amount?
13:23 November 13, 2009 by gerillataktik
Published: 13 Nov 09 08:20 CET

Why does The Local wait so long to update their daily news? Shouldn't the morning's stories be published long before 9am.

Its not like the translation work is that demanding.
13:26 November 13, 2009 by sthlmstdnt
well, if the boy is responsible of his own actions, not the family, as a social state, the government should pay the punishment of its own citizen who is unable to pay. Do not call this strange! after reading this kind of news
13:46 November 13, 2009 by spy
foxpur

Very interesting that he can not file for bankruptcy until he is 15. I am not quite sure about the rules in Sweden but would this preclude him from being a Company Director for a year or so and mean that he would not be allowed any credit? Also will any property he owns be clawed back by the creditor?

- Is this incident is really going to affect his life? . .
14:11 November 13, 2009 by eZee.se
Totally ridiculous.
15:07 November 13, 2009 by Nuname
He was 9!

How can you be responsible for your actions at 9? If you're not able to be criminally responsible, which he can't be, then surely you shouldn't be economically responsible either.

P.S The local, what does this mean? Doe's he have to start paying the debt back when he's earning? Can he get a student loan?
16:02 November 13, 2009 by mbe
My God.. how bad is this... he was only 9 when it happened... lets make these kids more mature than they are....
16:17 November 13, 2009 by duncs
he would have got of cheaper for murder. if i were him i would have killed the judge!
18:04 November 13, 2009 by mkvgtired
He would have gotten a lighter punishment if he murdered someone.
19:15 November 13, 2009 by karex
I love Sweden but there are things that happen here that so trouble me sometimes.

People are fond of stating that Sweden is a secular country and so forth, and so forth. I more and more get the feeling that Swedes have not become less religious but just changed the God worshipped. The new worship is the God of money and taxes. Increasing taxes are the miracle cure of any of society's problems, or so it seems.

A person who murders someone in cold blood gets off scot free or with minimum time incarceration, or a period of reflection at a psychiactric facility. However, if a crime is committed which damages someone's "pockets", the maximum penalty is applied, even to 9-year-old children.

What's wrong with this picture?
19:49 November 13, 2009 by glamshek
Money is the god of Swedes. Killers are set free, but property damagers at 9-year old could get 1.9 Million Kronors of fine. Typically, its the worship of Money !!
21:21 November 13, 2009 by Aussie_Downunder
Reading swedish news is quite disturbing, and at times totally BS, much like this story; or like with any news for that matter.

Anyway I find it downright stupid if this 9 year old gets a huge fine, although if he were to rape someone, he would get off much lighter.

I agree with karex, there is something seriously wrong with this picture the Swedish Justice System has painted.
21:56 November 13, 2009 by insect
Durai

I think this is how it works. The parents pay the money on a monthly basis till the child comes of age then he or she takes over and pays the money
23:01 November 13, 2009 by MTH
How come he gets a bigger punishment for this than for comiting murder? Maybe it was better (in terms of punishment) that he murdered the family than burning the house.
23:52 November 13, 2009 by coot
The comments mention "fine" and "punishment", but I don't understand why.

In common law countries (like the UK and US), the 1.9 million kronor is not a fine, and not a punishment. It is money to repair the house.

So, from an American point of view: This child burned the house. It was not a crime, because he did not intend to damage the house. But the owner had a house yesterday, but not today. Who pays to fix the house? The answer is simple: who caused the damage? In this case, somebody accidentally caused a fire, and is being held responsible for the damage.

Is that not how it works in Sweden?
02:45 November 14, 2009 by Coalbanks
Declares bankruptcy at 15, enters rehab/therapy for the effects (mental illness, drug use, alcoholism) of anxiety caused by this fine hanging over his head for years, writes book, makes $, the insurance company sues him - can they collect if he is bankrupt?
10:29 November 14, 2009 by karex
@coot

I think that you may have a point there. From the information given in the article, it was the insurance company who sued. Ergo, a private suit, or?

Perhaps what's wrong with the whole thing is that laws governing crime and those which affect private lawsuits are not aligned, i.e., there are different standards applied. It also seems that judges don't act in a uniform way, making it seem that the outcome of a trial is more depending on the judge (plain luck) than the letter of the law. It seems to me that this cannot be good for society in the longrun.
05:17 November 15, 2009 by Canada_Girl
This child gets a huge debt and the Baby Faced rapist will get a tap on the wrist.
14:01 November 15, 2009 by glamshek
@coot

If you make the property damager repay for the damages, then what about the killer who kills somebody?

An eye for an eye. A humana for a human. And an animal for an animal.

Property damage for property damage.

There is definitely something wrong with this judicial system.
15:58 November 16, 2009 by coot
@glamshek

Do you not have a concept of "criminal" and "civil" law? I am familiar with US and UK law, but not so much with Swedish law.

Killing somebody is a criminal offense. The law says "If you kill somebody, you will be punished". Typically, that punishment is to be put in prison. (This is true even in the US, which still has capital crimes.)

Stealing is a criminal offense. The law says "If you steal, you will be punished".

The law says this because we want people to think "I won't do that because I don't want to be punished".

The law does not say "If you damage something accidentally, we will put you in prison". That would not prevent accidents, because nobody _wants_ to cause accidents. (If they want it to happen, it is not an accident.)

But the law does say "If you damage property by accident, you have to repay the owner for the cost of the damage."

How else should it work? Should we put people in prison for accidents? Or should I have to pay when somebody else damages my property in an accident?
13:16 November 17, 2009 by glamshek
@coot

Killing somebody is criminal offence. The law says"If you kill somebody, youe will be punished". Typically that punishment is to be put in prison.

Well, I think there is something seriously wrong. We are not discussing what verdict is being given. We are disucssing what kind of verdict is being given. In other words we are actually analysing the kind of laws that exist here.

Let us take criminal law irrespective of civil law.

In criminal law they put you in prison for some time if you take the whole life of somebody. Even if we do not compare this law with Civil law, we still do not see justice in it.

Why? Because in Civil law you go for damage for dame concept but here in criminal law when it means to reciprocate through punishment because there is some crime commited, you give a much lighter punishment. Is it not non sense?

Punishment has to be either tougher or at least equal.

But we punish the guy who takes the life of somebody by putting him/her in prison for some time and then we later on let him/her scott free.
13:00 November 18, 2009 by izbz
11 years old to pay for damages? Which court can allow that? Does that means he'll have to grow up with 1.9 millions in debt?

To reprimand the kid fair enough but............there are many ways to reprimand .....community work after school for instance. I really don't think the kid did that intentionally, must have wet his pants watching the place burned down.
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Today's headlines
Three arrested for killing of Swedish soldiers

Three arrested for killing of Swedish soldiers

Three men have been arrested in Afghanistan on suspicion of being connected to the the death of Swedish soldiers Johan Palmlöv and Gunnar Andersson near Mazar-e Sharif on Sunday. READ (6 COMMENTS) »

Parental 'child sick leave' peaks in February

Each February, Swedish parents take an estimated 600,000 paid leave days to take care of sick children, according to new Social Insurance Agency statistics. READ »

'Only good foreign soldier on Afghan soil is a dead one': Jan Myrdal

'Only good foreign soldier on Afghan soil is a dead one': Myrdal

Swedish author and anti-war activist Jan Myrdal has sparked outrage following a public lecture in which he appeared to welcome the killing of Swedish, US and other soldiers. READ »

Sharp increase in asylum seeker deportations

Sharp increase in asylum seeker deportations

The number of asylum seekers deported from Sweden rose by 1,300 during 2009, according to new figures from the Swedish Migration Agency. READ »

Dental service probed as girl dies after toothache

The Swedish Welfare Board is set to investigate the Swedish Public Dental Service after a nine-year-old girl died following repeated visits to the dentist complaining of toothache and an abscess. READ »

Ingrid, 79, declared dead by Swedish tax authorities

79-year-old Ingrid Ståhl of Malmö in southern Sweden found out to her surprise that she had been registered as dead after a mistake by the Swedish Tax Agency. READ (8 COMMENTS) »

Söderling claims comeback win

Söderling claims comeback win

Swedish tennis star Robin Söderling showed no signs of the elbow complaint which knocked him out of the Australian Open, firing 26 aces to earn a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over Frenchman Florent Serra on Monday in the Rotterdam Open. READ »

Man shot on Stockholm street

A 29-year-old man was shot on Södermalm in Stockholm on Monday night. He was hit in the leg and in the shoulder, but was able to call an ambulance. No one has been arrested as the man refuses to talk to the police. READ (1 COMMENT) »

More Society

Blog Update: Style in Sweden

09 February 14:19

Stockholm Fashion Week. Part Två. »

"Sorry for the late Stockholm fashion week update but I am in the north of Sweden and internet is not working very well. Anyway, I think Minimarket presented as usual the most interesting collection at fashion week. I am obviously not the only one who loves the clean and comic-like style of Minimarket as the..." READ »

Poll

Are you interested in subletting your apartment in Sweden within the next two years?

   

View Results
Highlights
Photo: Tommy Andersson/Scanpix
SPORT »
Biathlete Helena Jonsson gunning for gold as Swedes set sights on ten Vancouver medals
Two year wait for Stockholm flat: report
NATIONAL »
Two year wait for Stockholm flat: report
Photo: www.finest.se
GALLERY »
The weekend's 'finest': February 5-7
Photo: Siri Ambjörnsson
SOCIETY »
Finding your inner Agnetha: The camp turning out a new wave of Swedish rock mums
Photo: www.stureplan.se
GALLERY »
Midweek revellers: February 3-4
Photo: Cathy Yeulet
LIFESTYLE »
February in Sweden: No sex please, we're cold
Photo: Billy Talent by Dustin Rubin
LIFESTYLE »
What's On in Sweden: February 4th - 11th Billy Talent, Bodypoppers, Bob Marley tribute.
Photo: Roland Karlsson
OPINION »
Profile: Sweden's new Minister for EU Affairs, Birgitta Ohlsson: A colourful politician with feminist credentials and lofty ambitions.
Photo: Piteå Kommun
SPONSORED ARTICLE
Swedish Rail Destinations with SJ: Piteå is best known as a summer destination, but wintertime offers skating across the ice in the Gulf of Botnia and cosy dinners in the pretty town centre.
Latest news from The Local in Germany
Blog
  • 5 questions for Diana Orving
    Diana Orving’s line consists of organic yet edgy fashion. The garments are delicate and luxurious. Both structured and deconstructed elements coexist in many of her pieces and produce a surprising...
  • 5 questions for The Local Firm
    The Local Firm is a young independent label created by Richard Hutchinson and Axel Nyhage that is based in Stockholm. The label has a reputation for a refreshing viewpoint on fashion. Drawing...
  • 5 questions for Kerstin Ekman
    Swedish author Kerstin Ekman started writing detective novels, then moved on to more psychological and social themes. In September 2009 she released her latest novel Mordets praktik. Sweden.se asked...
  • The Swedish Model in practice
    The term “Swedish Model” is used to describe the fact that the Swedish society is based on a high degree of public financing. Let’s find out what this means in practice by following a regular...
Essentials

Jobs - in Sweden, in English
Get your career on track with our job listings from Sweden's top employers.

Property - renting or buying in Sweden
Navigating the minefield of renting or buying an apartment or house in Sweden.

Weather
"There is no bad weather, just bad clothes," say the Swedes. Here's the forecast for everyone else.

Introducing...
Every week The Local serves up a spicy helping of Swedish celebrity for your delectation.

Stockholm Syndrome
Tales of crazy Swedish classes, hamfisted attempts to understand - and explain - real Swedes, and varied experiences of fellow foreigners gathered for your amusement.

Search News


Register

Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss

REGISTER FOR FREE »

Jobs in Sweden, in English

124 jobs in Sweden, in English
53 new jobs this week
20 new jobs today

ALL JOBS »

Jobs
Expatriate in Stockholm?
We offer services for foreigners who've recently moved or are planning to move to Stockholm. Corresponding with local authorities, organizing your home, seeking childcare and domestic help, plus more.
MORE INFO
Folk High Schools in Sweden
The Swedish Folk High Schools have courses that give you the possibility to bring out all your colors!
www.folkhogskola.nu
Visiting Stockholm?
Then you'll find The Local's new Stockholm Section useful. Find pics, guides, news and lots of useful information about Stockholm.
www.thelocal.se/stockholm
The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Welcome to Adlon Hotel in Stockholm
A perfect location both for business and pleasure. Centrally located, with atmosphere.
www.adlon.se
Winter archipelago tours
Visit Stockholm's beautiful archipelago. Great boat tours for all preferences.
MORE INFORMATION
Doctor of Psychology
Therapy in English

David Schultz PsyD
Individuals & couples
In Stockholm in person or by phone or video conferencing
www.anxiousorblue.se
Play football in Stockholm
Kick-off the new football season with LFC, Stockholm's premier English-speaking football club.
MORE INFO
JOB: Trainee Sales Executives
Midfield Media, a leading provider of events and executive forums, is seeking Trainee Sales Executives
FULL JOB DETAILS
Enjoy a beautiful winter weekend in Västervik
Treat yourself with a calm and relaxing weekend in beautiful archipelago surroundings
MORE INFORMATION
JOB: Copy editor and English speaking project manager/editor
Tidningskompaniet, one of Sweden's leading agencies for custom publishing, seeks two new employees in Stockholm and Göteborg
FULL JOB DETAILS
Counseling in English Individuals & Couples - Stockholm
Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now