Blind man jailed for possession of ecstasy

Blind man jailed for possession of ecstasy

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

The district court in Medan sentenced a blind man to six years
and six months in prison on Wednesday for the illegal possession
of 211 ecstasy pills.

The defendant, 33-year-old Ayin, who has been blind since
birth, was also fined Rp 150 million.

Ayin, who broke out in tears on hearing the sentence, said
that he would consider an appeal to a higher court.

The sentence was far more lenient than what was originally
demanded by prosecutors, who had asked the court to sentence him
to 10 years' in prison.

Prosecutors had charged Ayin with violating article 59 of
Regulation No. 5, 1997 for possession of psychotropic narcotics.

Presiding Judge A. Aziz Syarif cited the fact that the
plaintiff was blind, and that this was his first offense, as
justification for the lighter punishment than what was sought.

During the trial, Ayin was found guilty of illegal possession
of ecstasy. On Sept. 10, the police confiscated the 211 ecstasy
pills after discovering them in his underpants.

Ayin's lawyer, Tetty Sidabalok, told The Jakarta Post that the
pills did not belong to her client. Instead she said that on
Sept. 7 a man named Mulyani, also known under the alias Nini,
came to Ayin's house where he left 10 ecstasy pills.

Tetty said that Ayin was unaware that the tablets were ecstasy
because Nini did not tell him. The next day, another man named
Herman came by and deposited 201 ecstasy pills.

Herman told him that someone would pick them up.

Two days later, police officers arrived and searched the
house, and Ayin himself.

"But because of panic, Ayin hid the pills in his underpants
which were later found by the police," she told the Post.

Tetty said that she did not accept the judges' verdict and
promised to appeal to a higher court.

Ayin, she insisted, is innocent.

"My client will not accept the verdict because he was
victimized by drug dealers," she said.