Defendant hits prosecutor after being convicted

JAKARTA (JP): Enraged by a six-year jail term handed down by the Central Jakarta District Court for selling Ecstasy pills, a satay seller hit a prosecutor with a bench yesterday.

Prosecutor Lukimanto was not seriously injured and said he would forgive the defendant, Arif Andi, 37, who refused to be represented by a lawyer during his trial.

The incident occurred at the detention building opposite the courtroom when the prosecutor was escorting the convicted man back to his cell shortly after presiding judge Pangeran Siregar read the verdict.

Eyewitnesses said they heard Arif say: "I got a long sentence because of you." Arif then reportedly grabbed a bench and smashed it on the prosecutor's back.

Court officials ran to the scene and brought Arif under control. He then apologized to Lukimanto for being unable to control his emotions.

The prosecutor had earlier demanded that the court sentence Arif to seven years in jail for possessing 63 Ecstasy tablets and some marijuana.

Lukimanto said Arif was angry probably because he knew that a friend of his was sentenced to only four years for possessing 400 pills.

"In addition to the 63 pills, Arif was also found in possession of marijuana. He was charged under two articles," Lukimanto said.

He said he had no intention of pressing any charges over the attack.

Arif, who sold satay near Merdeka Discotheque on Jl. Kebon Kelapa, Central Jakarta, was found guilty of possessing 63 Ecstasy pills and 50 cigarettes of marijuana.

Police arrested him on Sept. 23 at the discotheque compound and confiscated the pills and marijuana hidden in his stall, judge Siregar said in his verdict.

Arif was caught following the arrest of his accomplice, Agus. The latter was arrested while offering Ecstasy pills to an undercover police officer at the discotheque.

Agus told police that the pills belonged to Arif. Agus is being tried in a separate trial in the same court.

Arif told police that he bought the pills at Rp 32,000 (US$3.2) each and the marijuana at Rp 3,000 a cigarette from a dealer in West Jakarta, Siregar said.

The defendant then sold each pill for Rp 40,000 to discotheque visitors, he said.

Siregar said Arif was found guilty of violating Article 59 (1) of Law No. 5/1997 on psychotropic drugs and Article 23 (3) of Law No. 5/1976 on narcotics. (jun)