Seven students face jail terms for murder

Seven students face jail terms for murder

JAKARTA (JP): A state prosecutor asked the Central Jakarta
District Court yesterday to send seven high school students to
jail for their alleged roles in a brawl on December that resulted
in the death of one student.

Charged under Article 170 of the Criminal Code, the seven
students, all 18, could face a maximum 12 years in prison if
found guilty.

The students on trial were identified as Doni Rossiyana,
Mahesa Chandra Tambunan, Zulachyar, Effendi, Abdi Riva'i, Fadli
Ilhami and Wibowo.

All of the young defendants are students of SMU VII senior
high school in Kebon Kacang, Central Jakarta.

Prosecutor Lukimanto demanded four-year jail terms for all of
them except Doni Rossiyana, who is also charged for illegally
possessing a sharp weapon.

The prosecutor demanded six years' imprisonment for Doni.

The December brawl involved students of two senior high
schools, SMU VII and STM 13, in Kebon Kacang district.

The victim, Adnan Fauzi, was a student of STM 13 technical
high school.

In previous court sessions, five of the defendants admitted
their role in beating Adnan, and Doni admitted he stabbed the
victim, while Mahesa denied the charge, saying he was hit first
before he beat the victim.

Lukimanto said the defendants deserved punishment because they
caused the death of a human being.

He also said a lighter sentence was asked for them because the
defendants admitted their crime, showed remorse, were still very
young and were never convicted of a crime before.

"Besides that, the defendants' parents met with the victim's
family and gave them money, which was accepted by the victim's
relatives," he said.

After prosecutors read the sentence demand, all of the
defendants burst into tears, saying they were very sorry for what
they did.

Presiding Judge Subardi said they should not shed any tears
because what they are facing now is nothing compared to the
feelings the victim's family feels every day.

"You will all spend time in jail, but your families and
friends can visit you anytime. They will also be able to see you
when you are free. But what about the victim's family? They will
never see Adnan again," Subardi said harshly.

After the session, the students' parents and families sobbed
and embraced them and accompanied them to the detention cell of
the courthouse.

The trial was adjourned until next week for the defense
statement. (12)