Father gets five years for rape

JAKARTA (JP): A father who raped his daughter since she was a child is serving a five-year sentence in a Tangerang prison, a lawyer said on Monday.

Titi Yunus of the Parayuwana Foundation, which focuses on neglected children, said the girl, now 18, had been expelled for shaming her school.

"She's just living at home now with her mother," Titi said.

"We are still seeking funds in case she wants to continue her education," the lawyer said.

The girl, Ra, who often contacts her lawyers, says her mother often scolds her.

The mother tried to bribe police to stop the case going to court. "She even sold the house to get money, and still blames Ra for it," Titi said.

Ra was pregnant for the fourth time when she reported her father to the police early this year.

"The doctor who treated her said it was lucky she was so strong after four abortions," Titi said.

She said the case finally reached police after Ra told a school friend whose father worked for the Indonesian Foundation for Child Welfare (YKAI).

Since Ra was in junior high school she had sought help from relatives but to no avail. Ra, her younger brother and her mother were terrified of the father, Titi said.

The father was also feared in the neighborhood, she said.

"It's about the only case we know of that has made it to court," Titi said.

The maximum sentence for molesting children is seven years. (anr)