Michelle Natalie, Makassar – A South Sulawesi man is facing five years in prison for the theft of ground pepper, despite one assertion that the victim has no interest in seeing the elderly farmer prosecuted.

Rawi, 66, appeared at a packed courtroom in Sinjai District Court on Wednesday to answer to prosecutors' charges that he stole a bucket of ground pepper worth Rp 100,000 ($11) from the garden of a neighbor, Abbas, in Sengkang village. The two men are reportedly related.

The theft was allegedly witnessed by two other residents, Rustam and Cama, who reported Rawi to police. Rawi's lawyer and his son-in-law maintain he only took a handful of pepper from Abbas.

Abdul Qadir, the son-in-law, told Detik.com that Abbas did not consider the matter a crime, and had no desire to see Rawi punished. Describing Rawi as a senile and harmless old man, Abdul said he was disappointed in the authorities for pursuing the case.

"My father-in-law has poor hearing and his health is also declining," Abdul said. "He is an illiterate farmer, he does not understand why he is being prosecuted."

"We are disappointed with the action taken by law enforcement. This case should not have proceeded to court, because the pepper's owner didn't feel bothered in the first place," Abdul said.