Indonesia's 'Hannibal Lector' gets 5 years

Indonesia's 'Hannibal Lector' gets 5 years

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purbalingga, Central Java

The Purbalingga District Court sentenced self-confessed cannibal
Sumanto to five years in jail on Friday, but only based upon
theft charges in the absence of specific legislation on
cannibalism.

Prosecutors had demanded a seven-year jail term. The 31-year
old Sumanto was charged with stealing the corpse of Rinah, 80,
which he said he wanted to eat.

"Based on the expert testimony, the theft of a corpse may be
classified as a violation of Article 363 of the Criminal Code,"
presiding judge Soemardijatmo said while reading out the verdict.

Villagers in the Pelumutan area in Purbalingga regency caught
Sumanto red-handed as was he was digging out Rinah's corpse in a
local public cemetery last January. He later admitted to eating
two foolhardy men who attempted to rob him. However no murder
charges were proffered against him.

Sumanto said that he cooked the human flesh, charred it, fried
it or ate it raw. Sumanto also admitted he had a taste for other
types of meat, saying he liked eating cats, dogs, rats and
snakes, when human corpses were not available.

The granny-eating Sumanto said he wanted to consume seven
corpses as part of his quest to obtain supernatural powers.

Judge Soemardijatmo criticized the prosecutors for failing to
charge Sumanto under traditional laws for his unusual epicurean
tastes.

"The defendant's cannibalistic behavior clearly violates
traditional laws, social norms and religious values," he said.

"These (violations) should have been laid against him so that
the panel of judges could engage in a process of legal revelation
that would be of benefit to the development of national law."

Sumanto said he would appeal the verdict. "Thank you Pak Hakim
(Judge). I object to the verdict and I will file an appeal," said
the Indonesia's very own Hannibal Lector, who appeared calm, if
hungry, throughout the trial.

Nurachyo, who coordinated Sumanto's 13-lawyer defense team,
insisted that stealing a corpse did not constitute a crime as a
corpse had no intrinsic economic value.

In addition, he said, Sumanto was mentally ill and could not
be held accountable for his actions.

"That's why it's obvious we must appeal this verdict, which
was unjustly handed down on a mentally ill person," the lawyer
told reporters after the trial.