13-year-old in Belgrade school killings testifies at parents' trial

A teenager who killed nine pupils and a guard in a mass shooting at a Belgrade school last year left a psychiatric institution for the first time Tuesday to testify at his parents' trial.

The 13-year-old boy carried out the killings on May 3 last year using his father’s gun. He cannot be prosecuted due to his age but his parents face serious public safety charges.

The hearing was held behind closed doors but Ognjen Bozovic, a legal representative for the victims' families, said: "Today was one of the most harrowing trials I’ve ever attended in my career... It was extremely difficult."

The parents of the murdered children also attended the testimony, which took place in a high-security court typically reserved for cases involving organized crime and war crimes.

Most left the court in tears, unable to speak to the media.

The Prosecutor's Office said it was closely monitoring the media for any leaks of the minor's testimony at the hearing.

The boy’s father, who is in custody, is charged with training his son to handle firearms, as well as failing to safely store the weapons and ammunition. The boy hid a handgun and 92 bullets used in the shooting in his backpack.

The boy’s mother has been indicted after her DNA was found on one of the bullets. She is on bail however.

Less than 48 hours after the school attack, eight people were murdered in another shooting carried out by a 21-year-old armed with an automatic rifle some 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of Belgrade.

Despite high levels of gun ownership, mass shootings have been rare in Serbia. The government decided in September that May 3 and May 4 will be Days of Remembrance for the victims of mass shootings.