HW was jailed for life after raping 13 students
The Bandung District Court on Tuesday has officially sentenced life imprisonment to defendant H
He is a former teacher and owner of Islamic boarding school (Pesantren)
who raped 13 female boarding school students.
The panel of judges found zero aspects that can reduce his sentence.
The sentence was announced by chief judge Yohannes.
Herry was found guilty for his heinous actions that
resulted in some of the victims becoming pregnant and giving birth.
The judge echoed the opinions of the panel
and deemed the case to be “extremely serious.
He is charged with Criminal Code (KUHP) Article 76.D of Law No.17/2016 on the changes against Law No.23/2002 overseeing child protection.
The sexual predator was initially charged the death penalty by the West Java High Prosecutor
but through extensive deliberation charged him life imprisonment.(pertimbangan)
Kurnia is a lawyer who represents the victims of convicted sex predator Herry
family members of the victims are deeply disappointed by the verdict the court handed to Herry, which is life imprisonment.
Herry is a teacher and owner of Islamic boarding schools in Bandung who raped 13 of his own students for several years,
some had even had to give birth.
Kurnia asserts that they say
the punishment cannot compensate for the psychological burden suffered by the victims, Antaranews reported.
“Once I saw the life sentence verdict, (begitu)
I Informed and confirmed this to the families of the victims.
They responded with anger, some shed tears, and found it hard to accept the verdict.
Not only are the victims angered by the punishment,
Kurnia himself in disagreement with the court’s verdict
as he recalled having to suppress the anger of them the first time the rape case emerged in public.
He also said some family members tried to attack the convicted rapist.
West Java teacher gets life in
prison for rape of 13 students
A district court sentenced a teacher to life in prison for the rape of
13 students,
in a case that has drawn national attention to sexual abuse in the country's religious boarding schools.
The Court found Herry guilty of raping 13 female students, all minors, and impregnating at least eight of them.
During the trial, it was revealed he had raped the children -- many from poor families attending the school on scholarships -- over five years.
The pattern of abuse came to light when the family of a female student reported Herry to the police for raping and impregnating their teenage daughter last year.
The revelations have sparked national outrage, with a senior government official saying President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo has paid special attention to the case.
Herry arrived in court in handcuffs and kept his head down
as judge Yohannes Purnomo Suryo Adi sentenced him to life in prison.
He had asked the judge for leniency to allow him to raise his children.
The court also said restitution for victims will be paid by the government.
More than 25,000 Islamic boarding schools -- known as "pesantren" -- are dotted across Indonesia,
with nearly five million students living and studying in the dorms.
Teaching is often regimented –
students attend regular classes during the day
and continue Koranic studies and Islamic teachings into the evening.
The Bandung rape case has shone a spotlight on the problem of sexual abuse in the schools,
with 14 out of the 18 cases reported to the National Child Protection Commission last year taking place in pesantren.