Boy, 14, jailed in Bali drugs case
An Australian teenager escorted by his bodyguards arrives at the Denpasar court in Bali. An Australian teenager escorted by his bodyguards arrives at the Denpasar court in Bali.
Denpasar, Indonesia - A court on the Indonesian island of Bali on Friday sentenced a 14-year-old Australian boy to two months in prison for possession of 3.6 grams of marijuana.
“The action of the defendants has tarnished the reputation of Bali as a tourism destination,” chief judge Amzer Simanjuntak said.
The boy's lawyer Muhammad Rifan said he and his client were disappointed with the verdict.
“We thought he would be released immediately” he said.
“The family hasn't decided whether to appeal.”
The boy has been detained since October 4 when he was arrested outside a supermarket in Kuta, Bali's popular tourist strip.
Rifan said earlier that the boy might avoid jail if he was convicted under an article in Indonesia's narcotics law that allows a minor to go into rehabilitation instead of serving prison time.
The boy, whose name was not revealed because he is under 18, was charged with three counts of drug possession, the most serious of which carries a six-year prison sentence. - Sapa-dpa