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From Matthew Norman Wiki

Profile

Matthew Norman, an Australian living at New South Wales, was born January 17, 1986. He was known to become one of the members of Bali Nine which was claimed by the police as group of drug dealers. He was caught and arrested at the age of 18 on April 2005 at Melasti Hotel in Kuta along with Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen, Myuran Sukumaran and Si Yi Chen. Policed believed that they are possessing 350 grams of heroin based from the evidence clearly seen on the scene. It is also believed that they are to transport such drugs to Australia. Aside from Norman and 3 members of Bali Nine, there were already five other members who were arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar. Norman was considered as the youngest of the group and charged as drug trafficking with the penalty of lifetime imprisonment. He was currently jailed in Indonesia.

Other Criminal Records

Matthew Norman and along with the other members of Bali Nine were arrested on March 26 2005 while travelling along the Pacific Highway with a stolen vehicle. Police use road spikes just to caught them and get back the stolen vehicle. They are to appear before the Gosford Magistrates Court to face car theft and traffic related charges on 26 April 2005 but failed to appear due to their imprisonment in Indonesia.

Judgment for Criminal Records

Upon his final court appearance, Matthew Norman shaved his head. On February 15, 2006 he was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment and was later reduced to 20 years. 6 months later the sentenced raised from 20 years imprisonment to death penalty. March 5 2008, 3 judges in the Supreme Court in Indonesia spare their lives which include Matthew Norman, Si Yi Chen and Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen and the sentenced were reduced from death penalty back to lifetime imprisonment. During the judicial review, it was claimed that it was a mistake to more 20 years imprisonment to death penalty.

Final Plea

Matthew Norman made his final plea to judges stating that he made a promise that he will no longer take drugs or even associate himself to anyone who was engaged with drug usage. He was asking to judges humbly if they could spare his life so as to start a new beginning as a new Christian which he has found inside the jail. He promised to renew himself and start acting goodness to other people’s lives. His prayers and plead was heard by judged and spare his life moving the death penalty to life sentence. His mother Robyn Norman was very thankful for the result of the final court trial and that she rather prefer life imprisonment that death penalty. She even thanked Indonesia government for looking after her some. For her it is better live in prison than be shot. Norman's mother, Robyn Norman, said after sentencing a life sentence was a better result than the death penalty, and also thanked the Indonesian government for looking after her son.