Neil Bantleman, family ready for worst in Jakarta child sex charges

Canadian teacher Neil Bantleman will hear the verdict of his child sex assault case Thursday and his family is preparing for the worst.

"There is no light at the end of the tunnel after today, and that's going to be tough," Neil's brother, Guy Bantleman, said on Wednesday. He said he is expecting a guilty verdict.

You shake you head and go how the hell are we here nine months later?- Guy Bantleman, brother

Neil Bantleman, a Burlington, Ont. native who also taught in Calgary, has been in custody in Jakarta, Indonesia, since July, 2014 when he and Indonesian teaching assistant Ferdinand Tjiong were brought in for police questioning in the alleged sexual assault of three young boys at the Jakarta International School (JIS).

Possible 12-year sentence

Prosecutors have asked for a 12-year prison sentence.

"I think we've resolved ourselves to a negative outcome," said Guy Bantleman, Neil's brother. "The word guilt is surreal. For everything (Neil)'s gone through, for the horror of this whole situation, every time you turn around and go, 'What the hell?' There's no medical tests, (the courts) can't give you a date, there's no injuries to these little boys. You shake you head and go how the hell are we here nine months later?"

Last Thursday, Bantleman delivered his last plea for innocence to the three-judge panel in Jakarta, asking them not to make him a "scapegoat" for false allegations, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.

Guy Bantleman said his brother's case is only in place so the parents of the alleged victims can continue with a $125-million civil suit against the JIS, an expensive school for Jakarta's elite and international diplomats' children.

Five janitors have already been found guilty in a previous sex assault case against the boys, receiving sentences of up to eight years for the repeated rape of the three kindergartners. A sixth janitor was arrested, but died in custody.

The case against Bantleman and Tjiong alleges the same boys were raped.

"It's leveled at them because there's no way that (the parents) can get to the deep pockets for $125-million without going through the school," Guy Bantleman said. "The janitors are all third parties so you can't launch a (civil) lawsuit, you can't include the school, if it's just the janitors who are accused of these crimes."

In custody since July 2014

Last July, Bantleman and Tjiong went into Jakarta Police headquarters voluntarily for questioning, and have not been released since. For 109-days, the pair were held without charges, on extensions granted by the local courts until they was formally charged, in October 2014.

Bantleman's trial began in December and included allegations he raped the boys in multiple locations, including inside his glass-walled office, and that he used a "magic stone" to anaesthetise the boys.

Journalist Andreas Harsono covers Indonesia for Human Rights Watch, and previously spoke with CBC Hamilton about the case. He said so far he has not seen "strong evidence" raised that the alleged violence happened by the janitors or Bantleman and Tjiong.

"I think they all should be acquitted," Harsono said. 

Neil's wife, Tracy Bantleman, who also teaches at the school, has been at the trial providing updates to media throughout the nine-month ordeal with Guy Bantleman.

They've expressed doubts and concerns about the medical evidence produced, the line of questioning given to the children involved, and the gag order issued by one of the judges to close the court process and limit the time defence was allowed to cross-examine.

They have also scrutinized the Canadian government's actions, which has said it would only intervene after the court case has concluded, according to Guy Bantleman.

"They should be standing up and saying we want a trial that is transparent and reaches the norms of an international standard, and that hasn't happened," Bantleman said.

Candlelight vigils have been held in Bantleman's hometown of Burlington, as well as in Calgary where he taught for 10 years at the Webber Academy, and in Jakarta as well. The last multi-city vigil was held on Monday, just days ahead of the April 2 decision.

The JIS was renamed to the Jakarta Intercultural School at the turn of the calendar year. It has approximately 2,400 students aged three to 18.