The Buckingham

Photo Credit: www.india-emporium.com

A boy in Indonesia is facing up to five years in prison after stealing an old pair of sandals that once belonged to a policeman.

Hundreds of people had packed into the court building in Central Sulawesi’s capital on Jan. 4.  Many had brought pairs of used sandals and piled them outside the courtroom to show their frustration over the justice system in the country.  Others rallied outside to demand the boy’s acquittal.

The 15-year-old boy had taken the sandals near a boarding house used by police on November 2010.  He was interrogated six months later and beaten by police who accused him of theft.

Indonesia has made many strides since ousting dictator Suharto in 1998, but many still claim the countries judicial system is weak and unfair.