Firing squad too good for bomber says victim's father

The father of a New Zealander killed in the Bali bombing last year says the firing squad is too good for a man found guilty of the attack.

Jared Gane's father, Alastair, speaking from Australia, said he would like Amrozi burned.

Jared Gane and two other New Zealanders - Mark Parker and Jamie Wellington - were killed in the attack.

Amrozi, dubbed the smiling bomber, was last night sentenced to death for helping to plot, organise and carry out crimes of terror in relation to the nightclub blasts that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians.

Mr Gane said: "I would like to see him left to the families to deal with so they can give him a bit of a flogging, let them play with him for three days to show him what pain is all about, and then tie him to a big stick and burn him.

"I know it's barbaric but so is he. He's got no remorse, no guilt and no conscience when he burned our kids and blew them away with a bomb - he needs to go the same way and let it be a lesson to them."

Amrozi's lawyers said they would appeal against the death sentence on behalf of their client. That could delay any execution by months and possibly years.

"We are going to appeal, not because we think the defendant is innocent or guilty but because there are many violations in the sentencing," said lawyer Adnan Wirawan.

After the verdict Amrozi turned to the public gallery, and gave a broad smile and a thumbs-up with both hands. He said he did not want to appeal.

Mr Gane said the trial gave him no closure and any impression that it ended the matter was false because Amrozi had worked with others.

"He's only one of a few - there's a lot of blokes tied up in this and unfortunately it's because his name is the one being pushed all the time it's taught us to hate him."

Mr Gane said the process would be repeated with each new trial. The repeated exposure made the family very angry and very bitter, he said. "It doesn't give us a chance to get over it."

He did not blame the media because he accepted it was something the public should know about.

"But it's there every day ... But it doesn't help the victims' families."

Mr Gane said he did not read newspapers or watch the news any more.

"I'm fair sick of it. I don't like sitting down to have my tea at night and all of a sudden seeing Bali burning and looking at a photo of my son thinking, 'Where were you in there?' "It's very, very difficult."

He had buried his son's ashes himself at a cemetery. "I watched him come into this world and I watched him go."

Mr Gane said although it was not rare for parents to lose a child, the way Jared died made it harder to handle.

His only consolation was that Jared had lived life to the full. "He lived for the day and not for tomorrow, he lived a full life every day.

"That was his motto, 'Live for today, Dad, don't worry about tomorrow - it may never come'."

He was comforted that Jared, at the age of 27, had done everything he wanted to in life.

Jared Gane's grandmother Fay Smith told the Herald that the death sentence was "very appropriate".

"It was a good verdict as he was nothing but guilty.

"Considering the heartache he's caused the families of the victims, I think the world will be a better place without him - I hope the whole lot of them get the same treatment."

Judy Wellington said she was glad her son's killer had been found guilty but said the verdict provided no closure to her grief.

Murray Parker, the father of Mark, said to a question about the verdict bringing closure: "There's no such thing as closure to this sort of thing."

- NZPA, STAFF REPORTER

Herald Feature: Bali bomb blast