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)