Teenager jailed for three rapes

Teenager jailed for three rapes

JAKARTA (JP): A 15-year-old boy was sentenced to four years in
prison by a court yesterday for raping three girls, two of whom
were five years old and the other seven.

At the Central Jakarta District Court, presiding Judge
Nurhayati based his sentence on article 287 of the Criminal Code,
which is normally reserved for adult rapists. He called the boy's
actions "immoral".

All of the victims were from his neighborhood in Kebon Sirih
Barat, Central Jakarta, and the rapes occurred between November
and April. A medical report presented in court showed that there
had been penetration in one case, but not in the other two.

Government prosecutor Esther D. Rante earlier demanded eight
years imprisonment.

The boy sat silent as the judge announced the verdict and
sentence. The hearing was also attended by his parents.

The defendant, accompanied by lawyer Aron Siagian, was tried
in a district court because the bill on juvenile courts is still
being deliberated in the House of Representatives.

By law, criminal trials involving minors are closed to the
public and cannot be covered by the media unless the judge allows
it. (26)