Man gets death for fatal robbery attempt

The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced a man to death on Thursday for his involvement in a fatal robbery attempt last year outside a Bank BCA branch on Jl. Bungur Besar Raya, Central Jakarta.

The crime on Oct. 25 took the lives of a police officer, Chief Sgt. Slamet Riyanto, and Ari Wibowo, an accomplice of defendant Agung Widodo.

The defendant, wearing a white shirt and black trousers, was shocked at the verdict.

"I didn't shoot ... I will appeal," he yelled out after presiding judge Silvester Djuma read out the verdict.

"The defendant was involved in a vicious crime that claimed a law enforcer's life. He is also guilty of illegally possessing firearms, which had been used many times in other robberies," Judge Djuma said before the court.

There was no mitigating factors in the case, the judge ruled.

Agung and accomplices Ari, Bambang, Rudy and Danu -- who have apparently robbed several banks in the city -- planned to rob the Bank BCA branch.

Danu, who cased the bank, told his gang that customer Danny Sukanta had just withdrawn Rp 160 million (US$18,500). The robbers, who were waiting on nearby Jl. Sepur, approached the bank and saw Danny in the parking lot.

Rudy allegedly shot Danny in the leg while Ari took Danny's bag containing the money.

Danny's friend, Hary Irwanto who was waiting on a motorcycle, saw the incident and rammed his bike into Ari.

During the accident, Agung only waited on his motorbike.

Chief Sgt. Slamet Riyanto and Sgt. Niasman Purba, who were assigned to guard the bank, became involved in a shootout with the robbers.

Slamet was shot in the leg and fell. Rudy then approached him, fatally shot him in the chest and took his gun.

The robbers quickly left the scene, but Ari fell off the motorcycle and died later in the day.

The police arrested Agung on Nov. 17, 2001 in a friend's house but failed to arrest the others, who are still on the run. -- JP