Man jailed for forcing wife into prostitution
Man jailed for forcing wife into prostitution
JAKARTA (JP): A 40-year-old man was sentenced to one year's imprisonment by the South Jakarta District Court yesterday after he was convicted of "selling" his own wife into prostitution from 1986 until 1994.
"The board of judges has decided to sentence the defendant, Yudhi Haryadi Sutikno, to one year's imprisonment, having found him guilty of making money by forcing his wife to become a prostitute," Judge Doris A.A.Taulo said.
The judge said the crime committed by Yudhi was disgraceful and also contrary to the interests of women. He added that the defendant had not been cooperative, in that he had tended to give twisted statements during his trial.
The judge then asked the defendant if he understood the verdict and Yudhi said that he would decide, during the seven days allowed, whether or not to file an appeal.
On Feb. 1, prosecutor Esther asked the judge to sentence Yudhi to one-and-a-half years' imprisonment.
Esther said Yudhi had violated Article 297 of the Criminal Code, which states that any person found guilty of trafficking in women and under-aged boys faces a maximum of six years imprisonment.
Yudhi was arrested by police after his wife, Rini Sundari, 25, the mother of his two children, reported to police that she had been forced by her husband to work as a prostitute from 1986 until early 1994.
In an earlier court session Rini told the judge that she married Yudi when she was 14 years old, on May 29, 1984, in Prembun village, Central Java.
Rini said that shortly after they married, Yudi had asked her to offer sexual services to a stranger at a hotel in Surabaya, East Java. Yudi had brought her to Jakarta in 1986, Rini said.
According to prosecutor Esther, Rini was employed by a woman panderer named Yuni Saputra from 1986 to 1987. From 1987 to 1990 she worked for Hartono Setyawan, the notorious panderer who ran an exclusive brothel on Jl. Prapanca 4, South Jakarta.
The prosecutor said that Rini's "rate" in Hartono's brothel from 1987 to 1990 was Rp 300,000 for three hours of service and Rp 600,000 for 12 hours of service. From 1990 to 1994 her price increased to Rp 750,000 for three hours and Rp 1.5 million for 12 hours. Half of Rini's income was kept by Hartono.
Hartono was sentenced to nine months imprisonment by the same court in December last year.
Rini has said that it was her love for her husband which made her keep working as a prostitute.
She also said her husband used to beat her and that he once threatened to pour acid over her face if she refused to work as a prostitute.
Rini said it was Yudi who drove her to the various hotels in which she had worked as a prostitute. (mas)