Serbian prosecutors seek harsher sentences for parents of Belgrade school shooter

Prosecutors in Belgrade have appealed a lower‑court judgment, asking a higher court to impose the maximum penalties on Vladimir Kecmanović and Miljana Kecmanović, the parents of the 2023 school shooter. The father was sentenced to 14 years and 6 months in prison and the mother to 2 years and 11 months; the appeal seeks up to 14 years 11 months for the father and up to 3 years for the mother.

The shooter, who killed ten children and a school guard on 3 May 2023, was under 14 years old and therefore not criminally liable. He remains in a psychiatric institution under supervision. In addition to the criminal sentences, the higher court ordered the parents to pay 344 million dinars (≈ 3 million euros) in non‑material damages to victims' families and a teacher, plus 6.9 million dinars for the teacher’s mental suffering.

The case has drawn extensive public attention and debate over parental responsibility and gun access in Serbia.