Antara Darah dan Hati: Dream Reality English Translation

Chapter 27 Part 8 "Punishment for the Master of Chaos"

POV Tantri

The incident of heer Pieter Cornelis de Graeff's rampage at the previous trial caused the panel of judges to decide to give a long delay for the day of the hearing for the reading of the verdict on the charges brought against heer Pieter Cornelis de Graeff arrived.

The pause between the previous trial and the next trial in which will be the time when meneer Karim, mevrouw Sofia and our friends know the answer for the result of our struggle to seek justice for all the crimes that have befallen upon us due to the actions of heer Pieter and his friends is about three weeks since the last trial was held.

While waiting for the next trial to arrive, we contacted each other more frequent than usual to ensure that neither of us was hurt or threatened by our enemies who might still be stalking us or plotting to harm us again. Indeed, what we are doing looks tiring but, the battle that we are facing is not over yet because, there is still a possibility that heer Pieter can be freed from the punishment that he should receive as a result of the current legal system forbidding law enforcement agencies to punish someone who's mentally ill.

If you're asking about what's the next step I would do if heer Pieter was acquitted for all the crimes he committed, I don't know myself. I just hope that if heer Pieter is free from the punishment that he deserves, Allah will show His way for me and my friends so that we can win our battle against him, his cronies and his men someday if not now.

Now, all I can do besides waiting and making sure that my friends are safe from the evil deeds of our enemies is to pray and hoping that my prayers are answered. While waiting, I didn't notice that time is running fast and leading us to the day that we have been waiting for. The day of the hearing for the verdict on all the crimes that heer Pieter has committed to me, my friends and their families.

We all departed simultaneously for the court building in the City of Sucilangkung and arrived exactly one hour before the trial started and after the time for the trial had arrived and the trial attendees had entered the courtroom, the clerk said the opening sentence for today's trial agenda.

"Today, Thursday, 14th April, 2026, the trial of a criminal case, the people of the State of West Java against the defendant Pieter Cronelis de Graeff are ready to begin. The panel of judges will enter the courtroom. All, please stand, up!"

We all stood up then the judges entered the courtroom and sat in their respective chairs, after they sat down, we were all asked to sit down by the clerk.

"All, please sit down!" said the clerk loudly, we all sat back down.

"Are you the prosecutor ready to follow today's trial?" the presiding judge asked Stijn.

"Yes, Your Honor." said Stijn giving his answer.

"Are you legal counsel ready to follow today's trial?" asked the presiding judge to Setya.

"I am ready, Your Honor" Setya said, giving giving his answer.

"On Thursday, 14th April, 2026, of a criminal case, the people of the State of West Java against the defendant Pieter Cornelis de Graeff, I hereby declare to be opened!" said the presiding judge then knocked his gavel once.

"To the prosecutor, please present the defendant before the court!" asked the presiding judge to Stijn.

"Very well Your Honor, the defendant Pieter Cornelis de Graeff is welcomed to enter the courtroom!" said Stijn giving his order.

Heer Pieter walked into the courtroom with his head bowed and then after he gave a respectful gesture to the presiding judge, he was asked by him to sit in the defendant's chair which was next to the chair where Setya was sitting.

"Please, sit down next to your legal counsel."

"Mr. Pieter, are you in good condition and ready to follow today's trial?" asked the presiding judge.

"Yes, Your Honor I am ready." replied heer Pieter in low tone.

"Well, according to the agenda, today's trial is the reading of the verdict and the defendant, the prosecutor and legal counsel are expected to listen to this verdict." said the presiding judge.

This is the moment, the moment when my friends along with their families and me will know whether today they will witness justice being served or witness evil reign. Constantly in my heart I prayed and made dhikr, asking Allah that He is willing to grant us victory and show us His justice.

Time seemed to slow down. Waiting for the presiding judge to open his mouth, raise his voice and read the verdict that he and the two judges along with the public prosecutor had discussed and wrote on a piece of paper that he held was like waiting for day to turn into night but, in the end, the presiding judge opened his mouth, raised his voice and read the verdict.

"We, the panel of judges, with various considerations have decided that mr. Pieter Cornelis de Graeff is innocent and he is acquitted of all the charges that are being brought against him."

The cheers released by some of the people who attended the courtroom filled the entire room, causing the presiding judge to have to knock his gavel repeatedly accompanied by the screams of the courtroom guards who asked the audience to calm down.

I tried to stay calm but in reality I felt heat filled my entire body, my teeth pressed against their own and my two hands that were on top of my thighs were clenched tightly.

Had there been no one here besides the judges and the prosecutor, I would have definitely lost control of myself and lunged at them all but, after the courtroom had calmed down, the presiding judge continued his sentence.

"But, considering that you are suffering from Dissociative Personality Disorder mental illness, in which is the root cause of why you committed many various undesirable acts that had caused many parties to suffer, we the panel of judges have decided to give an order to the police force to send you to a mental institution that is highly guarded by the members of the police force where you will get the services of professional parties who will take care of you and keep you safe and sound there for the rest of your life."

After the presiding judge said that sentence, he knocked his gavel three times in which being done as a symbol that the decision that he and the members of the panel of judges had made was final.

"All the parties who have objections to the contents of this verdict can file an appeal within 14 days from the date of the reading of this verdict and, hereby I declare that today's trial is closed!" said the presiding judge then knocked his gavel 3 times.

I was confused so I asked Lodewijk about the meaning of the decision the presiding judge had said.

"Lodewijk, what is the meaning of the decision that is being said by the presiding judge?"

A smirk appeared on Lodewijk's lips then he answered my question.

"It means heer Pieter will be locked up in a mental institution until he dies."

Hearing that answer from him made me immediately get up from the chair where I was sitting and said the sentence Alhamdulillaah aloud repeatedly.

Mevrouw Sofia, meneer Karim and their family members were surprised to see my behavior but, after Lodewijk gave an explanation to them in the end some of them also did the same thing as I did which caused some of the audience at the courtroom who were previously confused by the verdict that had been said by the presiding judge to heer Pieter finally understands that heer Pieter was sentenced to be locked up in a mental hospital until the angel of death take his soul away, making them cheering too because justice has been served today. Alhamdulillaah, thank you Allah, for Your willingness to grant us victory today!

================================

*Trivia

- The information about the panel of judges are able to give a verdict for confining a criminal who has a mental illness in a mental intitution for the rest of that criminal's life under the Dutch law system is exist in the previous part in a collection of screenshot images of my conversation with my Dutch friend, Carlos Baltes, who is studying in law school.