Six students jailed for murder

JAKARTA (JP): The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced six junior high school students to between one and a half years and two and a half years in jail yesterday for killing a senior high school student in a brawl.

The six defendants, aged between 15 and 18 years, were identified as Andi Burhanuddin alias Boang, Cipta Wahyudi, Gidion Oktavianus Silitonga, Novaya Zemlya Valentino, Alvin Libert Ariganda Siagian and Taufik Hidayat.

Wearing white-blue school uniforms, they bowed their heads when presiding judge Abas Sumantri read the verdict.

Abas said the defendants were found guilty of killing Sawaludin in the brawl on Jl. Prapatan, Central Jakarta, in July last year.

"Since the defendants have admitted to committing the crime, they have to be punished," he said.

Abas said the defendants violated Article 170 of the Criminal Code.

He said the panel of judges refused a plea from the defendants' lawyers that the court should return the defendants to their parents.

But since the defendants were young and wanted to continue their studies, the judges handed out lighter sentences.

Abas said that Boang had been sentenced to two and a half years, followed by Wahyudi, Gidion and Valentino with two years each. Alvin and Taufik were sentenced to one and half years respectively, he said.

The sentences were half than those proposed by prosecutor Roskanedi, he said.

Roskanedi asked the court in an earlier session to give Boang the heaviest sentence for stabbing the victim with a samurai sword.

The prosecutor said Wahyudi, Gidion and Novaya beat the victim with clubs and a shovel while Alvin and Taufik threw bricks at the victim.

The defendants, along with some of their classmates, were on their way home in a truck after attending a farewell party at a private junior high school, he said.

Sawaludin and his friends suddenly threw stones at the truck with no clear reason, said the prosecutor.

When the truck stopped at a nearby set of traffic lights, the students got off and chased their attackers, he said.

Roskanedi said Sawaludin was caught and killed by the junior high school students while his friends managed to escape.

The prosecutor and the defendants are still considering whether to appeal. (jun)