Neil Bantleman freed, but child sex assault case is far from over

A Canadian teacher who was convicted of sexually abusing young children at an elite international school in Jakarta has been freed from jail, but thecase that has made international headlines is far from over.

Neil Bantleman, from Burlington, Ont., and Indonesian teaching assistant Ferdinant Tjiongwere released from prison Friday, after an Indonesian high court overturned an earlier conviction from a district court.

The April ruling found the two guilty of sexually assaultingthree kindergarten students at Jakarta International School (JIS), now known as Jakarta Intercultural School.

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A spokesman for the Jakarta prosecutor's office said the high court's decision would be appealed to the country's top court.

Waluyo who like many Indonesians uses one name said they are studying the verdict and will file the appeal within two weeks.

That plan is simply "rhetoric," said Bantleman's brother, Guy Bantleman, who has been acting as a family spokesperson since his brother's arrest.

"I don't think you really want to be taking a case forward where you have a little chance of being successful,"he told CBC'sAs It HappensFriday. "That's just notgonnabenefit anyone at this point."

• Listen to Guy Bantleman's interview with As It Happens in the audio player above

Evidence revised

The high courtoverturned the conviction based on the revisions of the evidence against the two men, said reporter JackJewsonwho was in Jakarta covering the appeal for CBC News.

The judge delivered the decision in a closed court and the two men's lawyer read the written decision to family members and media.

In a video posted to the Facebook groupFree Neil Bantleman & Ferdi Tjiong, Bantleman's wife Tracy was visibly emotional when the decision was read to her.

The two men had been in custody in Jakarta since July 2014, after police brought them in for questioning.

They have always maintained their innocence, whilecritics of the lawsuit argued that the allegations were motivated by money.

Just days before the two men's release, a judge threw out a $125-million civillawsuit filed against JISbythe mother of astudent. The mother alleged thather son had been molested by BantlemanandTjiong.

5 janitors still in jail

The two men's acquittalcould also help a group of janitorswho are appealing similar convictions in a separate but related case, a human rights watcher said.

Five janitors who worked at JIS were found guilty in December 2014 of sexually assaulting a kindergartener. A sixth janitor died in custody, after allegedly drinking bathroom cleanser, police reported.

The janitors were arrested inApril2014 following a complaint from the parents of a six-year-old boy who alleged the child had been raped.

Their convictions were withheld by the provincial high court, and they are currently appealing the decision to the Supreme Court.

"With the other two cases have been won by the teachers, I think the cleaners will also win the Supreme Court verdict," said Andreas Harsono, an Indonesia-based researcher for Human Rights Watch who has been monitoring the JIS cases.

If the Supreme Court overturns the janitors' cases, it would also prompt authorities to look into the death of the sixth janitor, Harsono said.

Guy Bantlemansaid his family will also keep supporting the janitors. He said the janitors come from a very different socioeconomic class and described them as "frail, timidand shy individuals."

"For six lives to be ruined because of someone's greed is just not fathomable," he said.

Supporters worldwideecstatic

Bantleman and his wifewill spend the weekend away from the media spotlight, and the family will determine their next steps in the coming weeks, Guy Bantleman said.

His brother will "definitely" leave Indonesia after the whirlwind journey is over, Guy Bantlemanadded. His brother plans to go to Calgary first to celebrate with his wife's family before coming back to the Toronto area.

Meanwhile, congratulatory messages are pouring in from the two men's supporters worldwide.

In a post in the Free Neil Bantleman & Ferdi Tjiong Facebook group on Friday, after the high court's decision, a supporter from Vancouver asked the group members to share their locations.

Hundreds of people from Ecuador and the Netherlands to Mongolia and Laos have since left comments, showing that the case has drawn attention far beyond Indonesia and Canada.

"It makes you feel good.It reminds you that there's a lot good in society today,"GuyBantlemansaid.