Court exonerates minor of robbery charges

Court exonerates minor of robbery charges

JAKARTA (JP): The North Jakarta District Court has exonerated
a 14-year-old boy of robbery charges.

Judge Raden Ida said at Thursday's trial that Arif Budi, an
elementary school student, was proven not guilty of robbing
Casmadi, a taxi driver on July 30 of last year.

According to witnesses' testimonies and material evidence,
Budi stabbed Casmadi in the neck with a screwdriver, causing
minor injuries, the judge said.

"Budi wanted to defend his friend Darto who fought with the
taxi driver," she added.

Prosecutor Bakrie Thayeb previously accused Budi, jointly with
Darto, 20, of robbing Casmadi on Jl. Raya Marunda, Cilincing,
North Jakarta.

Thayeb demanded that the court sentence Budi to seven months
imprisonment for violating article 365 and 53 of the Criminal
Code.

Darto died in police custody five days after the incident.
However, police said Darto had several serious injuries after
being attacked by an angry mob at the scene of the crime.

The incident started at around 6:30 a.m. on July 30 when Darto
and Budi went to Bojong, Bekasi and then to Cilincing by a taxi
driven by Casmadi.

Darto asked the taxi driver to stop on Jl. Marunda and Budi
got out of the taxi first.

After Budi alighted, Darto pointed a knife at Casmadi and
demanded money. But the driver refused to give them any money and
fought with Darto.

At seeing his friend fight Casmadi, Budi returned to the taxi
and stabbed Casmadi in the neck with a screwdriver.

Casmadi was injured in the arm and neck in the fight.

Casmadi then shouted "thief, thief" and Darto and Budi ran
away.

People caught Darto and Budi after they heard the driver
shouting.

The judge said that Budi did not know that Darto had pointed a
knife at the driver, or that he had demanded money. Budi just
wanted to defend his friend, she added.

Both the prosecutor and the defendant accepted the court's
ruling.

Budi's father, Syamsudin, testified that Budi was not a
naughty child, that always helps his mother around the house.

Budi said that he regretted the incident and wanted to study
at an Islamic boarding school.

Budi's lawyer, Abu Mansyur, said that he regretted the
detention of his client before the trial.

"The police and prosecutor should have let Budi go to school,
not detained him," the lawyer said.

Countering the lawyer's statements, The North Jakarta police
head, Lt. Col. R. Abubakar N. said yesterday that Darto, along
with Budi, was taken to the police station by two security guards
of PT Arco on July 30 last year. Darto had several injuries
around the mouth and a bruise on his head.

After being treated at the nearby Koja hospital, Darto was
then returned to the police jail, he said.

Five days later, Darto fell ill in the evening and was taken
to the same hospital, where he died about one hour later,
Abubakar said.

According to officer Abubakar, Budi had dropped out of the
third grade of elementary school of SD O4 at Kalibaru in 1991,
four years before the incident took place. (29/BSR)