Briton killed in taxi robbery

JAKARTA (JP): The death of a British man on the Tangerang toll road last Thursday was due to an armed robbery and was not connected to widespread rioting on that day, police said yesterday.

City police spokesman Lt. Col. E. Aritonang told The Jakarta Post that Neil Peacock, 36, a furniture architect for a Hong Kong-based company, was stabbed to death by two assailants.

"He bled to death after being stabbed eight times," he said. "The robbers dumped Peacock's body on the roadside and abandoned his girlfriend there, too."

Peacock was stabbed six times in his right thigh, once in the knee and once in his right calf muscle.

Police found Peacock's blue jeans, a pair of socks and a T- shirt, all covered in blood.

The robbers stole about Rp 600,000 in cash, a pair of shoes, a wristwatch, a belt and all of his credit and ATM cards, Aritonang said.

Peacock was first identified as Mack by his girlfriend, Endang Setiowati, 21, a bar girl at Tanamur Diskotek, Central Jakarta.

Peacock and Endang headed back to Mandarin Oriental Hotel about 2 a.m. after hanging out at Tanamur Diskotek. They hailed a green-colored cab in front of Budi Kemuliaan Hospital, about 200 meters away from the diskotek.

The cab driver took the couple to Mandarin Oriental Hotel but as they approached the destination, two men -- believed to be the driver's accomplices -- commandeered the taxi.

Peacock, who has been working in Asia for 10 years, is survived by his wife, Linda, and 4-year-old Marcus, who both reside in Hong Kong. (edt)