Man gets two years for attacking ambassador

JAKARTA (JP): Central Jakarta District Court sentenced a homeless man yesterday to two years in jail for using violence to try to extort money from Palestinian Authority Ambassador Ribhi Awad.

Presiding judge Imam Purnomo said Hariyanto, 24, was found guilty of using violence to try to extort money from the ambassador on July 29, last year.

"The defendant, whose act could harm the relationship between Indonesia and Palestine, has been jailed six times for theft since 1990," Imam said.

In their verdict the panel of judges took into consideration the fact that Hariyanto of Indramayu, West Java, was still young and had two little children.

He said the defendant admitted to spreading nails on Jl. Imam Bonjol, Menteng, in Central Jakarta and then offering help to the ambassador when one of his tires was punctured.

Hariyanto was not happy with the Rp 20,000 (US$1.60) the ambassador gave him for helping to change the tire and asked for more, Imam said.

"Rp 20,000 was a reasonable payment. We rejected the defense's claim that it was normal to be dissatisfied with that amount," he said.

The defendant pulled out a knife and tried to snatch the car keys when Awad refused to give him more money.

Frightened, the ambassador pulled out a pistol and shot Hariyanto in the left foot, Imam said.

Hariyanto escaped, but was arrested the following morning when he sought medical treatment at Pelni Hospital in West Jakarta.

Imam said Hariyanto was charged under Article 368 of the Criminal Code.

He said the court asked the prosecutor to give back to the defendant the Rp 20,000 which had been confiscated as evidence by police.

Prosecutor Andrizal and Hariyanto accepted the judges' decision.

After the trial Hariyanto asked the prosecutor to return his money.

"It's for my food in jail," he said.

Since the money in question was in the prosecutor's office and Hariyanto insisted on having it back, Andrizal borrowed money from his staff to give him. (jun)