Six students undergo trial for killing

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)