Bantleman released from Indonesian jail
Was held since 2014 on charges of sexually assaulting students
Neil Bantleman is back on Canadian soil.
Bantleman, a Burlington teacher who was arrested in Indonesia on charges of sexually assaulting students in 2014, returned to Canada in late June, his brother Guy Bantleman confirmed Thursday afternoon.
“We are ecstatic that we’ve got this saga behind us,” Guy said.
Later Thursday, Neil Bantleman released a statement.
“Five years ago I was wrongfully accused and convicted of crimes I did not commit and furthermore never occurred,” he said in the statement. “I applied for clemency, which I am pleased was granted by Indonesia last month, upholding essential justice and human rights.”
Neil Bantleman and Indonesian teaching assistant Ferdinand Tjiong were convicted in 2014 of charges of sexually assaulting three young male students at the Jakarta Intercultural School where they taught. Prosecuted together, both men were sentenced to 10 years in prison.
In 2015, they were acquitted and released, but in 2016, the Indonesian Supreme Court overturned the acquittal and ordered both Bantleman and Tjiong to spend 11 years in prison.
Guy said his brother boarded a plane home “immediately” after his release from prison.
He said he did not want to get into specifics about the process that led to his brother’s release, other than saying, “Countries just don’t demand releases — it’s got to be systematic, it’s got to be respectful.” He declined to comment when asked whether Neil was still facing any criminal charges.
Global affairs declined to comment on the case, but in his statement, Neil thanked the Canadian government “for their steadfast commitment to seeing us home.”
In 2017, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had been “extremely active” on Neil’s case and was working with the Indonesian government to get to a “positive outcome.”
Guy, who hadn’t seen his brother in six years, said his brother was in good health and receiving support from his family.
“We’ve got a lot of work for Neil to integrate back into day-to-day routine and taking stock of what’s happened and reconnecting with our parents and just getting back to life,” he said. He would not confirm where in Canada his brother is currently staying. In his statement, Neil asked for privacy.
Along with Bantleman and Tjiong, four male janitors at the school were sentenced to eight years in prison in connection to the case while a woman received a seven-year sentence as an accomplice.
Police said a sixth suspect died by suicide while in custody.
Jakarta Intercultural School is known as an educational hub for the children of diplomats and expatriates.