That was expensive fun: Because their 13-year-old son allowed himself a bad phone prank, his parents now have to pay 45,000 euros.
On June 5, 2020, a call to a school in Hamburg caused a stir. The police were on site within a very short time, concerned parents picked up their children, roads were cordoned off and finally a helicopter circled over the area in the Mümmelmannsberg district. The reason for the large-scale operation: someone had announced a rampage over the phone.
13-year-old announced rampage in Hamburg
Who this "someone" was could only be determined a short time later on the same day: It was a 13-year-old boy who had only allowed himself a bad joke. According to the police, no evidence of a planned rampage could be found at the time – so it was a false alarm.
Less than three months later, the 13-year-old's parents are literally getting the bill for the phone prank. And that's all 45,000 euros!
Expensive phone prank with consequences On June 5, 2020, in # Mümmelmannsberg announced a rampage, which led to an extensive police operation. – Hamburg Police (@PolizeiHamburg) September 29, 2020
We are legally obliged to collect the costs of the operation and have sent the person who caused the operation a fee invoice for 45,000 euros. https://t.co/7vUWQWSCJ8
As the Hamburg police tweeted, they are legally obliged to collect the costs of the operation – and have "sent the person who caused the operation a bill of 45,000 euros".
Since a 13-year-old can hardly bear the costs, it is now his parents' turn, as RTL reports. You are responsible for the actions of your child – and therefore also for the deed on June 5th.
It doesn't matter that the operation was a phone prank: several road closures had been set up, the school evacuated and an extensive operation carried out. This was only canceled when the perpetrator was identified and it was clear that there was actually no threat from the 13-year-old. Then it was too late – since the police operation was already advanced, it had to be paid for.