Escapee gets 20 years for tollroad robbery

Escapee gets 20 years for tollroad robbery

BOGOR (JP): Prison escapee Erling Doli Wijaya, alias Mikel,
was sentenced to 20 years in jail by the district court here
yesterday for his role in last October's Jagorawi toll road
robbery and murder.

Presiding judge Nurganti Saragih told the court that Mikel,
31, who was tried in absentia, was convicted for committing a
theft along with three other people and murdering someone, all on
Oct. 11.

The sentence is the maximum prison term possible, as stated in
Article 365, paragraph four of the Criminal Code.

The only more severe penalty is death.

The sentence was the same as that demanded last week by
prosecutors.

Mikel and his three other accomplices, two of whom are still
at large, were charged with stealing Rp 312 million (US$120,000)
from a car and shooting the driver Zainuddin. Two other people,
Tjetje Tajuddin and Nukman Lubis, were also in the car.

Tjetje was beaten to death by a police officer during
questioning.

Mikel's other accomplice, Heri Faisal alias Hendrik, 28, has
been sentenced to 15 years in prison. While Hendrik was awaiting
his verdict on June 27, Mikel escaped from an escort of two Bogor
Prosecutor's Office guards.

Last month, while armed with a handgun, he fled from police
officers who attempted to rearrest him in the East Java capital
Surabaya.

Following Mikel's escape, four people -- his sister, a friend
and two Bogor Prosecutor's Office employees -- were arrested for
allegedly abetting in the escape.

Nurganti said Mikel deserved the sentence because he had
killed someone, had spent the stolen money and escaped from
prison, thereby causing public unrest, she said.

"The panel of judges doesn't see anything that could help
lighten the punishment," said Nurganti.

"We considered that he was just pretending to be good in
previous hearings," she said.

Court spokesman Usman Wahab said that if Mikel was rearrested
he would have to spend another month in jail, as ruled by the
court before he escaped in June, before being formally sentenced.

"After spending one-month in prison, he will be told about his
final punishment. He will then have one week to make a decision
whether to accept it or not," he said. (24/bsr)