| Indonesian court jails Bali bomb-maker for 20 years |
JAKARTA An Indonesian court sentenced bomb-maker Umar Patek to 20 years’ jail on Thursday for his role in the 2002 Bali bombings, bringing to an end a 10-year probe into the nation’s deadliest act of terror.
Patek, 45, was found guilty of six charges, a number of which related to the twin suicide bombings on a Bali nightclub and bar that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.
“We sentence Umar Patek to 20 years in jail,” chief judge Encep Yuliardi told the West Jakarta district court.
Patek was found guilty of premeditated murder lin-ked to the Bali bombings, and other charges related to the Christmas Eve bombings in 2000 on several churches that killed 19 people in Jakarta.
Upon hearing his fate, Patek stood up and shook the judges’ and prosecutors’ hands, before hugging his own lawyer and walking past reporters out of the court. His lawyer Asludin Hatjani said he would hold a consultation with Patek and his family on Friday to discuss whether his client wanted to appeal.
“Umar Patek is very disappointed with the sentence and considers it too severe. He has been honest and admitted what he’s done, and he feels the court has not taken that into consideration.”
The decisions were made by a panel of five judges, who delivered their verdict after a gruelling 11-hour hearing observed by more than 100 journalists, many of whom were Australian, spilling out of the small courtroom.
Around 300 police guarded the courtroom all day and four snipers stood atop neighbouring buildings, West Jakarta police chief Widodo said.
Prosecutors had sought a life sentence, sparing Patek from the firing squad — which executed three other key players in the Bali attacks — because he had shown remorse during the four-month trial.
Patek claimed he was “against it from the start” and had tried to stop the attack at the 11th hour. He has also apologised to victims and their families.
But, Yuliardi said: “He should know that no matter how small his role, the result is loss of lives.
“He had said he disagreed with it, but he could have rejected and could have considered not to follow the orders of his seniors or at least report to the authorities,” the judge added.
Agence France-Presse
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