Teenager jailed for killing his mother

JAKARTA (JP): Central Jakarta District Court sentenced a 17- year-old boy over the weekend to three years and six months in prison for killing his mother.

Presiding judge Mahdi S.N. said the defendant, Hardiansyah, was guilty of killing his 53-year-old mother, Jumriyati, on Feb. 3 in their house on Jl. Setiakawan in Duri Pulo.

"The defendant should be held responsible for the murder since a psychological examination stated that the defendant has no mental problems," Mahdi said.

He said Hardiansyah stabbed Jumriyati twice in the chest and abdomen while she was asleep.

Jumriyati was unable to scream since the defendant covered her mouth with a piece of cloth, he said. The victim died on the scene.

The defendant then left a note beside his mother's body saying that he had killed her and asking his brothers and sisters not to report it to the police.

"The defendant killed her because he was ashamed of having a mentally ill mother," Mahdi said.

Mahdi said Hardiansyah violated Article 338 of the Criminal Code.

Prosecutor Roskanedi had earlier asked the court to sentence the elementary school dropout to seven years in jail for the killing.

Both the defendant and the prosecutor accepted the judge's decision.

Hardiansyah, who was accompanied by some of his siblings, shook hands with the prosecutor and the judges, whom he thanked for not giving him a harsher sentence.

The defendant had said that his mother started to suffer from depression 10 years ago after returning home from Saudi Arabia where she worked as a housemaid. The mother of 12 children went off center after she found out her husband had taken another wife. (jun)