Prison escapee faces 20 years' imprisonment

Prison escapee faces 20 years' imprisonment

BOGOR (JP): A prosecutor demanded the Bogor District Court
yesterday to sentence Erling Doli Wijaya alias Mikel, who escaped
from his detention cell almost four weeks ago, to 20 years in
prison for his involvement in a robbery and murder on the
Jagorawi toll road on Oct. 11 last year.

Prosecutor Andi Rachman Asbar told the court that Mikel was
guilty of violating Chapter 365, Article 4, of the Criminal Code
concerning robbery.

"The defendant should be punished for the crime he committed,"
Andi said.

Before the court session began, Mikel's lawyers -- Almuzfar,
Mansjur Abubakar and Castrio Pandji -- protested the court for
allowing the prosecutor to read the indictment despite the
absence of the defendant.

"The indictment violates Chapter 196, Article 1, of Criminal
Code Procedures," Almuzfar said.

But judge Usman Wahab decided the indictment could be
continued because Mikel previously attended other trial sessions.

"The Criminal Code does not have regulations that pertain to
the defendant, who attended previous sessions but later escaped,"
Usman said.

He quoted former Supreme Court chief Oemar Senoadji, who once
said that such a court session could continue.

The lawyers did not agree with the judge's decision, telling
the court they resigned as Mikel's lawyers.

On June 27, Mikel escaped from an escort of two officers of
the Bogor Prosecutor's Office.

Meanwhile, East Java Police spokesman Lt. Col. Sofwat Hadi
said yesterday that police were still looking for Mikel.

Sofwat said two police officers failed to arrest Mikel on Jl.
Ciliwung, in Surabaya, East Java, on Friday.

Two police officers, including a police officer from Bogor,
Tatang Ruswandi, who was assigned to capture Mikel, saw the
suspect driving a Suzuki jeep on the street at about 7:30 p.m. on
Friday, a police source said.

Mikel, his wife Elizabeth and a sister-in-law, Lulu, tried to
hire a doctor in the area, the officer said.

He said Mikel, who apparently knew he was being watched, tried
to escape by breaking the right window of his car and threatening
to shoot Tatang after police officers fired a warning shot.

The suspect speeded up his car and nearly hit Tatang, who
tried to stop the car, he said.

Tatang managed to jump aside to avoid the car but fired his
pistol accidentally, hitting his own left leg, the police source
said.

Tatang was being treated at RKZ Hospital on Jl. Diponegoro,
Surabaya. (24/nur/jun)