Six Reasons for JIS Teacher to Face 10 Years of Imprisonment

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - South Jakarta District Court has sentenced Neil Bantleman, Jakarta International School teacher, guilty for committing sexual harassment towards three kindergarten students. Bantleman was sentenced with 10 years of imprisonment with a Rp100 million fine and a subsidiary punishment of six months imprisonment.

The judges assembly claimed that the defendant has violated Article 82 of Law No. 23/2002 on Child Protection. "The court sentences the defendant with 10 years of imprisonment," said Judge Nur Aslam Bustaman on Thursday April 2, 2015.

There are six factors that were considered as aggravating Bantleman's sentencing:

First, the defendant never admit the harassment act that he committed. Second, the defendant never stated that he regretted his act. Third, the defendant never apologized to the victims' family for what he had committed. Fourth, the defendant is considered to be uncooperative during the trial by giving convoluted statement in the court. Fifth, the defendant formed a public opinion by giving explanation about the case to the press, before and after the trial, whereas the trial is actually a closed hearing.

Bantleman's act of talking to the press was considered a pressure for the closed hearing and was seen as an offense towards the underaged victims.

And finally, the sixth, Bantleman was seen as a worst example of a professional teacher by burdening his students with psychological burden instead of protecting them.

However, from those six factors, there are also two mitigating factors for Bantleman's sentencing. First, the defendant had never been in trial before. Secondly, the defendant always shows decent and polite behaviour during the trial.

Bantleman stated that he will appeal against the verdict and argued that the decision was biased.

MAYA NAWANGWULAN