Canadian teacher convicted of sexual abuse of boys at Indonesian school
Convicted Neil Bantleman calls Indonesian verdict 'miscarriage of justice'
PUBLISHED : Thursday, 02 April, 2015, 11:13pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 02 April, 2015, 11:13pm
Reuters in Jakarta
Indonesian teaching assistant Ferdinand Tjiong (left) and Canadian teacher Neil Bantleman shortly before yesterday's verdict.Photo: AFP
A Canadian teacher was sentenced to 10 years in jail in Indonesia yesterday for sexually abusing kindergarten boys at a prestigious international Jakarta school, in a controversial case that has put the country's judicial system under scrutiny.
The verdict against Neil Bantleman came after a four-month trial that critics say was fraught with irregularities, raising foreign investors' concerns about legal certainty in Southeast Asia's biggest economy.
Bantleman, 45, and Indonesian teaching assistant Ferdinand Tjiong, who both strongly deny the charges, were accused of abusing three pupils from expatriate families at the Jakarta Intercultural School, who were about five years old at the time. The court did not give a verdict on Tjiong yesterday.
The court jailed Bantleman for 10 years and ordered him pay a fine of 100 million rupiah (HK$60,000). Prosecutors had sought a 12-year term.
In December five janitors from the school were sentenced to up to eight years in jail for raping one of the boys.
Children of many expatriates and diplomats in the Indonesia capital attend the US embassy-backed school, previously called the Jakarta International School.
"There is no reason to forgive the defendant," Presiding Judge Nur Aslam said. "The defendant should be found guilty.
"The defendant did not admit his crime or express regret for his deeds, nor did he apologise for what he did, which psychologically damaged underage children," she said.
Bantleman, who also holds British nationality, said he planned to appeal against the verdict, at which a loud cheer went up in the packed Jakarta courtroom from his supporters in the court, mostly parents from the school.
"This is a complete miscarriage of justice," he said.
"We'll continue to fight and appeal until the truth comes out, and the truth is that Ferdi and I never abused those kids."
The defendants' lawyers had argued that the investigation and testimony from the victims were flawed, local media reported.
The men have said that the decision to prosecute them revolved around a separate lawsuit filed by the family of one of the alleged victims, which demands US$125 million in compensation from the school.
Circumstances surrounding the trial, including a court order preventing either side from speaking to media, have prompted questions about the transparency of the legal process.
"We are very concerned about the impact of this proceeding on the rule of law and legal certainty," said Lin Neumann, managing director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Jakarta, before the verdict.
"Foreign investors, Americans in particular, have been watching very carefully," he said.
Indonesia's judicial system is seen as among the least credible and most corrupt institutions in the country, reports Transparency International, an organisation that monitors corruption.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
