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.