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progresifjaya.co.id, JAKARTA – The assault trial involving defendants Pontas Sibarani and Budiman Sibarani at the Asahan District Court has entered the plea stage. Public Prosecutor Gunawan Putra Manihuruk is seeking a two-year prison sentence for both defendants for violating Article 351 paragraph (2) of the Criminal Code.

Regarding this sentence, the witness reporting the case, Sopyan Chan, expressed his disappointment with the prosecutor’s demand for only two years. He argued that, as witnesses who witnessed the incident, the defendants should have been sentenced to more than five years in prison.

“I swear to God that the assault on victim Syahbuki Hasibuan was more brutal from the prosecutor’s perspective. The initial incident involved a heated argument between the perpetrator and the victim,” explained Sopyan Chan.

“Finally, the victim was chased by the perpetrator, who was carrying a hoe, shouting, ‘Kill him, kill him, Syahbuki.’ The victim fell and was hit on the head with a hoe, resulting in permanent blindness in his left eye. He should have been charged under Article 354, which carries a sentence of eight years in prison,” he added.

He also stated, that the statement by the Head of the General Crimes Section of the Asahan District Attorney’s Office, Naharuddin Rambe, that the victim and the perpetrator initially chatted, as shown in the video, was untrue. There was no conversation from the beginning of this case.

“It wasn’t a conversation, but an argument. I was at the scene at the time, so i know exactly what happened,” Sopyan added.

The next witness in this case, Supratman Siburian, also made a similar statement. He stated that the case began with an argument between defendants Pontas and Budiman and the victim, Syahbuki.

“There was a heated argument, then the victim was chased by the two defendants in the rice field. Defendant Pontas shouted, ‘Kill Syahbuki!’ And finally, defendant Budiman hit the victim on the head, causing serious injuries,” said Supratman.

He also stated that, based on the actual incident in the assault case, the prosecutor should have charged both defendants under Article 354 because the assault was premeditated. Furthermore, the victim was also seriously injured, resulting in permanent disability, including blindness in his left eye.

“Our hope now lies with the Honorable Chief Justice. Will he hand down a sentence according to the prosecutor’s demands or exceed them? What we have stated is a sworn statement. The victim was also not present at the trial because defendant Pontas hid her with money. Those are the true facts we want to convey to the Asahan community and the panel of judges,” Supratman explained, expressing his hope. (Bembo)