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)