Bali prosecutors think one year in jail is not enough time behind bars for an Australian who was caught smoking a joint in Canggu in January 2015 with an Indonesian driver.
In Nicholas James Langan’s trial, prosecutors recommended that the Australian get the maximum term of four years in prison for his crime after he was caught with the half-smoked joint and 0.8 gram bag of marijuana.
But Langan was sentenced to just one year in prison from Denpasar District Court on July 23, last month—and the sentence is backdated from the time of arrest so he would be out by early next year. The judge had noted Langan was “polite and frank” with the court, and Langan had reportedly given a heartfelt apology for his actions during the trial.
“The judge’s verdict is extremely far from the prosecutor’s demand. So we have to appeal,” Ketut Maha Agung, criminal section head at the Denpasar Prosecutor’s office, told News Corp Australia.
Agung explained that if the verdict is less than two-thirds of the prosecution’s demand—as with Langan’s case—then prosecutors are obliged to appeal.
Hanung Hermantoro, the driver at the villa where Langan was staying, was also sentenced to a year in jail, but New Corp Australia’s report seemed to be less interested in Hermantoro’s fate and did not discuss whether prosecutors seek to up his sentence as well.
Photo: AFP
