Herry Wirawan raped girls between the ages of 11 and 14 between 2016 and 2021 in a school, hotel or apartment in Bandung. At least nine babies were born as a result of the rapes and the case has caused public outcry. On Monday, judges at the Bandung High Court upheld the prosecutors’ appeal of the death sentence, saying in the ruling: “What he did had caused trauma and suffering to the victims and their parents. “The accused had tarnished the reputation of Islamic boarding schools.” Wirawan’s assets will be confiscated, including from a owned institution, and auctioned off for the benefit of the victims and their children. Image: Wirawan’s crimes have caused public outcry in Indonesia. Photo: AP The judges also ruled that nine children born to victims should be handed over to the Child and Women Protection Service with periodic evaluation “until the victims are mentally ready to care for their children and the situation allows their children to return to the victims.” ». Wirawan’s lawyer, Ira Mambo, said she would advise her client to appeal the sentence to the Supreme Court. They have seven days to do so before the court decision becomes final. Wirawan pleaded guilty and apologized to his victims and their families during the trial. In January, President Joko Widodo said he was concerned about cases of sexual harassment in Islamic boarding schools and called on parliament to speed up discussions on a bill on sexual violence. Conservative lawmakers and Islamic groups want the bill to include bans on extramarital sex and homosexuality.
