A
Canadian teacher has been found guilty of assault and child sexual
abuse and sentenced to 10 years in jail by an Indonesian court, while
his Indonesian assistant remains on trial for the same charges.
Gasps
could be heard as the verdict was read out in a court room packed with
parents and teachers from the Jakarta Intercultural School on Thursday,
where the incidents against three children are alleged to have taken
place.
Throughout
the trial Neil Bantleman has vigorously protested his innocence and has
been strongly supported by the school community, many of whom claim the
allegations of child abuse against him and his teaching assistant
Ferdinand Tjiong are unfounded.
The
defence have suggested a $125m lawsuit filed by one of the victims’
mothers against the Jakarta-based school is the true motivation behind
the case – an accusation denied by the prosecution.
In
his closing remarks the teacher said he would appeal the decision
arrived at by the three judge panel at South Jakarta District Court – a
statement greeted by applause and raucous cheers.
“We will fight until the truth comes out,” Bantleman added, as he was lead away, surrounded by journalists and prison guards.
The trial of Tjiong is continuing at the same court.
0 comments:
Post a Comment