Sailor gets six years for rape

The North Jakarta District Court yesterday sentenced a sailor to six years imprisonment for raping his own maid in February.

"According to the facts presented during the court session, I found Nasir Baco guilty beyond any reasonable doubt and therefore sentenced him to a six year jail term," said presiding judge Soetatmohadibroto.

Soetatmohadibroto said that Nasir deserves the imprisonment after having destroyed the life of the plaintiff, Mda, 15. According to the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, Mda is now suffering from serious psychological trauma.

The court's verdict is lighter than what was requested by prosecutor Heru Chairuddin, who asked for eight years imprisonment.

Prosecutor Heru said, in the end, that he agreed to the judge's verdict.

According to the Criminal Code, a person convicted of raping a child under 15 years old faces a maximum imprisonment of nine years.

Prosecutor Heru said that Nasir, 40, raped Mda in his house in the Penjaringan subdistrict, North Jakarta, at 11 p.m. on Feb. 6. When his wife, Sukecih, and daughter, Rina, had gone to bed, he found his housemaid and threatened to kill her if she screamed.

The prosecutor said that the maid reported the rape case to her mother, Robiyana, on March 31, 53 days after the rape took place. Based on a report from the Robiyana Penjaringan police precinct, Nasir was arrested on a ship in the Muara Baru seaport on April 1. (03)