Winnenden shooter's father to pay damages

The Baden-Württemberg accident insurance company won the case against Winnenden shooter Tim K.'s father on Friday, after a local court in Stuttgart said the gunman's father was liable for the damages his son caused in the 2009 massacre.

The court did not set any specific amount for payment, although the insurance company demanded 717,000 euros ($782,000) to compensate for its loss. Specific details on the sum of money to be paid would be announced in later sessions.

The accident insurance company had sought compensation for damages after it had to pay victims of the 2009 shooting. The court accepted the complaint against the father, justifying its actions by saying that he did not adhere to rules to protect his weapons from being misused.

The mother of the shooter was relieved of all responsibility for her son's conduct. Judges said they could not prove that she had failed to monitor her son and there was also no evidence that she had a "sure idea" of where the weapon was kept before her son went on the rampage.

Tim K's father was given a year-and-a-half parole sentence because he had left his gun unlocked in his bedroom on the day of the incident in 2009. His son used the weapon to kill 15 people at his school, before killing himself.

mg/bk (AFP, dpa)