In northeastern Germany, a court has handed down a nearly eight-year prison sentence to a teenager for the violent death of a younger child.

In the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a court sentenced a 15-year-old to seven years and nine months in prison on Thursday for the death of a 6-year-old.

During the trial, evidence revealed that the victim, who failed to return home at the agreed time on September 14 of last year, was discovered in the evening with severe stab wounds in a hedge near a soccer field. Despite efforts by rescuers to save the child, he later succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.

Authorities noted that the teenager, who was the last person seen with the victim on September 14, exhibited inconsistencies in his statements during questioning. Moreover, traces of his DNA were discovered on the murder weapon.

The defendant, who was 14 at the time of the incident, had acquaintanceship with the victim's family in their village.

Shortly after the crime was reported, the teenager came under police scrutiny. While a search of his family's residence yielded no evidence at the time, he was not apprehended until nearly two weeks later.

The defendant confessed to strangling the boy and inflicting multiple stab wounds only last month. Additionally, investigations were launched against the defendant's brother, a fact that emerged shortly after the trial began.

In early April, after a prolonged period of silence, the defendant partially confessed and implicated another individual, unrelated to his brother.

Originally charged with manslaughter, the prosecution upgraded the charge to murder, seeking an eight-year prison term. The lawyer representing the murdered child's parents, acting as co-plaintiffs, urged the maximum sentence of 10 years given the circumstances.

Conversely, the defendant's defense attorney argued for a manslaughter charge and a reduced sentence of seven years.