MELBOURNE, Feb 22 – An Indonesia widower will soon return to his country after being sentenced for people smuggling by a South Australian District Court. Polce Genakalong, 31, pleaded guilty to people smuggling between June and July last year on a crowded boat that had 42 Iraqi asylum seekers on board, the Australian Associated Press reports.
On Friday, Judge Paul Rice jailed Genakalong for two years but set a non-parole period of 252 days. The term will expire on March 8 after Rice backdated the sentence to July when the boat was intercepted and Genakalong taken into custody. Genakalong, who will be deported when his term expires, played a minor role and was unlikely to offend again, the judge said.
BERNAMA
