He and a friend had apparently been approached by a drug dealer on their way to get a massage. The boy, named Lewis Mason bought $A25 worth of marijuana from the dealer. He was arrested after leaving the place he got the massage. He could face a maximum of 12 years in jail if convicted but his lawyer, Mohammad Rifan, stated that because of his age Mason could be charged under provisions for juveniles, which would mean a maximum of 6 years. Unfortunately, Indonesia does not have a juvenile court system and so Mason would have to serve out his sentence in an adult prison if convicted, most likely in Bali's 'Kerobokan Jail' where Australians Schepelle Corby and the 'Bali 9' are serving their sentences.
Naturally, Mason has been distressed throughout all this and his parents are devastated. It was also reported that the drug dealer who approached Mason had told him that he hadn't eaten in days and desparately needed the money, and so Mason was simply doing him a favour. Mohammad Rifan also claimed that the Kerobokan Jail was 'a nightmare for adults' and so would not be a safe place for a teenager.
Meanwhile, Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd had announced that he and the Australian Government were working closely with Indonesian authorities to bring Mason back home.
Ok, I don't mean to kick the kid while he's down, but I find it hard to feel too sympathetic over what's happened to him. While I pray that he and his family are safe and doing well, the kid still committed a crime in Indonesia and so should still be subject to their laws. Would it be fair to others who are doing time for the same crime if he was pardoned just because he was younger than them? No, it wouldn't. Sure, we can all hope that he doesn't go in heavy but if he ends up serving the maximum penalty for his crime then people should get over it. It's Indonesia's laws and no one else's.
As for the kid's excuse that he felt sorry for the dealer, come on!!!! If he wanted to help the guy out, why not just give him money and NOT BUY THE DRUGS? Even if he had no intention of using the drugs the fact that he purchased them makes him look like a fool. At 14-years old one should be aware that drug possession is a criminal offence and in recent years it's become pretty clear that such a crime is a pretty big deal in Indonesia and that harsh, sometimes life-threatening penalities await offenders. When you apply for a passport you are warned of these things. Well, Mason is a 14-year old boy AND has an Australian passport. He should have known better. It doesn't take a genius to know that if someone offers you illicit drugs AND asks money in exchange, YOU SAY NO!!!!! Not only would it be a waste of your time, but it's a lousy way to lose money and could cost you your life.
Surely Mason has heard of Schapelle Corby, Michael Sacatides and the 'Bali Nine'. They're all serving prison sentences for drug offences in Indonesia and two of the Bali Nine ringleaders are on death row. Better yet, has he heard of Van Tuong Nguyen, the young man hanged in Singapore back in 2005 for the same crime? While Mason may not serve the same harsh sentences they got, he should have known that what he did was wrong and would land him in big trouble, especially in Indonesia.
At the end of the day, no one should have to go through what he's going through, and no parent should have to see their child caught up in this ordeal. But seriously, and I hate to say it, but the kid is simply paying for his own mistake and while Rudd and the Australian government can fight all they want for his release, their battle could be futile. As for Lewis Mason, I wish him all the best and hope that he's learned a valuable lesson from all this. And I also hope that others would learn from this story and realise that doing dumb things overseas may seem like fun, but in the end you could end up paying a hefty price for your actions - and help won't come easily.
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