The five youths who are suspected of having caused the fire at the Hässleholm railway in August risk being sentenced to proper damages if convicted.

The fire destroyed great values ​​and train traffic was paralyzed for ten days, which has led to high costs. Skånetrafiken and the Swedish Transport Administration estimate that the final note will end up at SEK 10 million and SEK 30 million respectively.

Children can be sentenced to damages

The youths who are between 15 and 20 years old are punishable by criminal law, but the age does not, in principle, matter when an amount of damages is awarded, says Nils Pålbrant, who is a counsel at Uppsala District Court and specializes in juvenile delinquency.

- An indemnity can be awarded to a small child and then it is up to the respective insurance company to find out if the amount should be reduced. Often the debt is greatly reduced, but it can still be about the million amounts that the children are obliged to pay, says Nils Pålbrant to SVT News.

Parents pay

Many parents choose to pay the damages, but they are not obliged to do so and that means that the debts can make it difficult for the children and the young people to establish themselves when they turn legal.

- It is only in certain cases where the parents are considered to have failed in their parental responsibility that they can become liable for payment, but the main rule is that the child himself is liable, Nils Pålbrant says.