Jakarta Globe, Bayu Marhaenjati, Apr 02, 2015
Canadian
school administrator Neil Bantleman is hugged by his wife Tracy
Bantleman
shortly before Bantleman's court appearance to face a verdict on
Thursday. (AFP
Photo/Bay Ismoyo)
|
Jakarta.
Canadian teacher Neil Bantleman and an Indonesian teaching assistant have both
been sentenced to 10 years’ jail for sexually abusing three boys at the
prestigious Jakarta International School.
South
Jakarta District Court ruled on Thursday both men were guilty of abusing the
boys, concluding a controversial and much-criticized trial.
Bantleman
and teaching assistant Ferdinand Tjiong were sentenced to 10 years in prison
and given a Rp 100 million ($7,700) fine each.
Both have
maintained their innocence and say they will appeal the verdict.
Supporters
of the two men claim there is no medical or other evidence to suggest the young
students were sexually abused, but judges found otherwise.
“This is a
complete miscarriage of justice,” Bantleman said in a statement. “We’ll
continue to fight and appeal until the truth comes out, and the truth is that
Ferdi and I never abused those kids.”
Last July,
a parent stepped forward accusing Bantleman and Ferdinand of sexually abusing
her son in the school’s administrative office. She also claimed the kindergarten
principal had videotaped the assault.
The
accusations against the two followed another sexual abuse investigation
centering on a group of six janitors, who were accused of raping a 6-year-old
boy in a school bathroom.
In
December, five janitors were found guilty in this case, and were sentenced to
prison terms of up to eight years. Prosecutors had demanded ten-year sentences
in this case. Lawyers for the convicts said at the time that they would file
appeals.
One among
the group of janitors committed suicide in police custody before the trial
reached a conclusion.
A prominent
child rights activist said earlier on Thursday that prosecutors should have
demanded much harsher sentences.
Arist
Merdeka Sirait, chairman of the National Commission for Child Protection
(Komnas PA), said Article 82 from Law No. 23 (2002) on child protection calls
for a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, and a minimum of five.
“If we look
at the future impact on children who experience sexual violence, I think this isn’t
fair,” Arist said at the South Jakarta District Court. “We’re not getting the
most out of this law.”
Stressing
that he hoped the court would fairly assess all the facts presented in the
case, Arist added that he would prefer a life sentence for people convicted of
child abuse.
“Of course
the innocent should not be convicted, but for the guilty I want the maximum
punishment.”
The court
started reading the verdict against Bantleman on Thursday morning, but the
process took almost until 6 p.m., due in part to the fact that an English
translation was also read out, to help Bantleman understand.
Presiding
Judge Nur Aslam Bustaman also on several occasions had to remind people in
attendance to remain calm.
JIS, a
prestigious institution mainly catering to children of expats and wealthy
Indonesians, is currently called Jakarta Intercultural School.
Additional reporting Reuters
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