Bali boy charged with offences that carry jail term
by: By Staff Writers From:news.com.au October 21, 20113:13PM
Held: The 14-year-old arrested in Bali over drug allegations. The Sunday Telegraph
• Bali teen charged with three offences - reports • Likely to face up to six years in prison • DFAT yet to confirm charges
A NSW boy arrested in Bali for drug possession faces a term in Bali's notorious Kerobokan jail after being charged by Indonesian prosecutors.
Prosecutors have told the ABC they have imposed three charges, one of which carries a jail term of two to six years.
Lawyers for the 14-year-old boy from NSW have tried to have him placed in Denpasar, but prosecutors say he will likely serve the term in the harsh Kerobokan prison, where Schapelle Corby and the Bali Nine are carrying out their sentences.
He was arrested on October 4 when he allegedly bought a small amount of marijuana in Kuta while he was holidaying in Bali with his parents.
DFAT has yet to confirm whether charges have been laid.
Earlier this week, sources told News Limited sources prosecutors would charge the boy with the the tough Article 127 penalty instead of Article 128 - which would have allowed him to leave and undergo rehabilitation classes.
"They (prosecutors) need to make sure it doesn't look like they're letting him off without any penalty," a source said of the case against the Morisset Park teen.
Sources say the boy's lawyer, Mohammad Rifan, is set to follow a legal defence used by Victorian man Ricky Rawson.
Mr Rawson faced a Bali court last month when he was charged with violating Article 127 after being arrested with 0.06g of methamphetamine.
In Mr Rawson's case, he pleaded that he used the drug for depression, had never had a previous conviction and was apologetic for his actions.
The judge took into account the jail time he had already served waiting for the court date and ordered his release without a rehabilitation order.
Mr Rifan, who has met with the prosecutors, has obtained a psychiatrist's report and medical records as part of his defence strategy.
There have also been reports that the 14-year-old's urine sample has come back negative.
The police drug unit, which had asked for an extension of time to hold the boy, has been handed a November 3 deadline to move him.
