Australia, Bali, marijuana, SpongeBob SquarePants curtains… it all makes sense
An Australian teenager (C) covers his face with a paper as his father (R) stands behind him in a makeshift “children’s” courtroom decked out in SpongeBob SquarePants curtains, in Bali, Indonesia on November 25, 2011.
A Bali court has sentenced an Australian teenager charged with drug offenses to two months in jail.
However, Indonesia may release the 14-year-old Australian next week as the sentence includes time already served. Prosecutors had demanded a sentence of three months.
The boy was arrested in Bali's Kuta district on Oct. 4 for possessing 3.6 grams (0.1 oz) of marijuana.
Sky News broadcast the sentencing live in Sydney.
The Australian government "welcomes the decision by the court in Bali concerning this young lad," Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd said after the sentencing, according to a transcript posted on his official web page.
"We'd like very much to thank the Indonesian authorities for their assistance in the conduct of this case, for the speedy way in which it's been handled against all Indonesian norms."
The Nine TV network made the point that the ruling was delivered in a makeshift "children's" courtroom, "complete with SpongeBob SquarePants curtains, which had been prepared especially for the Australian's boy's case."