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Dutch teens convicted for killing referee

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, June 18 (UPI) -- A Dutch court has convicted six teenage soccer players and a father of manslaughter for kicking a volunteer linesman to death.

The game between the two teams, Nieuw Sloten and Buitenboys, took place last November in Almere, near Amsterdam.

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The game ended in a 2-2 tie after Nieuw Sloten came back from being down 2-0.

While the players were shaking hands with the three volunteer officials after the game, several members of the Nieuw-Sloten team knocked one of the linesman, Richard Nieuwenhuizen, to the ground.

The players punched and kicked Nieuwenhuizen, 41, in the head several times before parents intervened.

After the beating, Nieuwenhuizen was able to stand up and said he did not want to go to the hospital.

He returned home, but collapsed later in the afternoon and was transported to the hospital, where he died of repeated blows to the head and neck.

Prosecutors brought manslaughter charges against six soccer players and a father of one of the athletes.

Monday, all six youths were found guilty of manslaughter, NBC Sports reported. Five were given two-year sentences in a youth detention center, while one received a one-year sentence.

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The father was also convicted and was sentenced to six years in prison, NBC Sports said.

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