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)