Six students undergo trial for killing

JAKARTA (JP): A prosecutor asked the Central Jakarta District Court yesterday to sentence six junior high school students to between two and a half years and four and a half years in jail for killing a senior high school student.

Prosecutor M. Roskanedi said the defendants, between the ages of 15 and 18 years old, identified as Andi Burhanuddin alias Boang, Cipta Wahyudi, Gidion Oktavianus Silitonga, Novaya Zemlya Valentino, Alvin Libert Ariganda Siagian and Taufik Hidayat, were guilty of killing Sawaludin last July.

Roskanedi asked the court at the end of the prosecution's presentation to give Andi the heaviest sentence of four and a half years in jail for stabbing the victim with a samurai sword and three and a half years each for Cipta, Gidion and Novaya for beating the victim with clubs and a shovel.

The prosecutor also asked the court to sentence Alvin and Taufik to two and a half years each for throwing bricks at the victim.

He said the defendants, along with some of their classmates, were on the way home in a truck after attending a farewell party at a private junior high school on Jl. Prapatan in Central Jakarta.

Sawaludin and his friends started throwing stones at the defendants' group on the truck without any clear reason, said the prosecutor.

When the truck stopped at a nearby traffic light, the students got down and chased away their attackers, he said.

The victim's friends managed to escape but Sawaludin was caught and killed by the junior high school students, he said.

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

Presiding judge Abas Sumantri adjourned the trial for two weeks before hearing statements from the defendant's lawyer, Gelora Tarigan.

Gelora said that the prosecutor's sentencing request was too severe.

"The brawl occurred spontaneously and the students were attacked first by the victim and his friends," he said. (jun)