Bandung, Indonesia — An Indonesian excessive courtroom granted an enchantment from prosecutors and sentenced an Islamic boarding faculty principal to dying for raping not less than 13 college students over 5 years and impregnating a few of them.
Herry Wirawan had been convicted by a three-judge panel at Bandung District Courtroom in February and sentenced to life in jail. He had been accused of raping women between 11 and 14 years outdated from 2016 to 2021 on the faculty, motels or rented flats within the metropolis of West Java. Not less than 9 infants reportedly had been born on account of the rapes.
His case drew a public outcry as there have been a number of victims over a number of years. Police mentioned the victims had been too fearful to inform anybody.
The Bandung Excessive Courtroom judges of their ruling Monday agreed with prosecutors' enchantment for the dying penalty and for Wirawan's property to be seized.
"What he had finished had triggered trauma and struggling to the victims and their mother and father," mentioned the ruling the courtroom launched on its web site Tuesday. "The defendant had tarnished the status of Islamic boarding colleges."
The decrease courtroom had ordered Indonesia's youngster safety ministry to pay $23,200 in mixed compensation requested by the victims and between $600 and $6,000 for medical and psychological remedy for every lady, as a substitute of seizing Wirawan's property.
However the excessive courtroom dominated for his property to be seized, together with a basis he owned, and auctioned to profit the victims and their youngsters.
The judges additionally dominated that 9 youngsters born to the victims must be handed over to the Youngsters and Girls Safety Company with periodic analysis "till the victims are mentally able to care for his or her youngsters, and the scenario permits for his or her youngsters to be returned to the victims."
The enchantment courtroom's judges denied prosecutors' request for chemical castration, saying somebody sentenced to dying or life imprisonment will not be topic to different punishments, aside from the revocation of some rights.
Wirawan's lawyer, Ira Mambo, mentioned she would advise her consumer to enchantment the sentence to the Supreme Courtroom. They've seven days to take action earlier than the courtroom determination turns into ultimate.
Wirawan pleaded responsible and apologized to his victims and their households in the course of the trial.
West Java police started to research the case and arrested Wirawan final Might when mother and father of a sufferer went to the police after their daughter returned house on a vacation and admitted she had simply given start.
The case did not develop into public till November, when courtroom proceedings started. Police mentioned they waited to publicize it to stop additional psychological and social injury to the victims.
In January, President Joko Widodo mentioned he was involved about circumstances of sexual abuse in Islamic boarding colleges and referred to as on parliament to hurry up deliberations on a invoice on sexual violence. Conservative lawmakers and Islamic teams need the invoice to incorporate prohibitions on extramarital intercourse and gay relations.