An Indonesian man accused of sexually assaulting more than a dozen victims has gone on trial in a case attracting widespread attention and debate because of his disability.
I Wayan Agus Suartama is facing two charges relating to the alleged sexual assault of a university student, but could later face further prosecution with up to 17 women and girls, including two minors, making allegations against him.
The initial trial revolves around allegations that he pressured and coerced the victim to have sex or be sexually intimate, a claim other alleged victims have also made to police.
If convicted of the two offences in this initial trial, he could spend up to 16 years behind bars.
A panel of three judges is hearing his case.
Mr Suartama, who was born without arms, has used media interviews to highlight his disability and to reject the accusation that he in any way forced others to have sex with him, describing it as impossible.
The opening day of his trial in the city of Mataram on the island of Lombok started dramatically with Mr Suartama's mother collapsing outside the court and being carried away in front of waiting media.
Mr Suartama, who was accompanied by lawyers, also told the court that the prison he's being held in isn't adequately set up for an inmate with no arms.
He's requested to be detained at home.
The details of the indictment outlining his alleged crimes remain suppressed, in line with usual practice for cases in Indonesia involving sexual offences.
The hearings are closed, leaving a curious public to pour over media reports about how he allegedly convinced the victims to have sex against their wishes.
People with disabilities 'the same in the eyes of the law'
The unusual case emerged in Indonesia's national media late last year when the 22-year-old accepted television interviews to appeal to the public for sympathy after police named him a suspect.
He showed off his ability to play traditional Balinese music with his feet, and also spoke of his reliance on his mother for the most basic tasks.
Mr Suartama told interviewers that he's the victim of unfair allegations and bullying.
Evidence of his alleged methods started leaking to Indonesian media outlets, including an audio recording where he purportedly tells a woman that he possessed magical powers that allowed him to find out other people's problems.
He then allegedly invited the woman to take a "holy" bath before molesting her, according to police prosecutors.
A spokesperson for Lombok police's child and women protection unit said in December that "his deeds meet the criteria of making someone follow his will by giving pressure mentally, causing fear and the inability to refuse his wishes".
Much of the public commentary around the case focused on whether a man with his level of disability could be capable of carrying out the sexual assault of others.
But authorities insist that's beside the point.
"The status of people with disabilities is the same in the eyes of the law," the disability commissioner of West Nusa Tenggara province, Joko Jumadi, told local media.
The trial continues.
