Police on Tuesday expressed surprise that prosecutors only demanded a six-month prison sentence for gang leader Hercules Rozario Marshall despite him being charged with three crimes with a maximum possible punishment of nine years.

West Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr. Fadil Imran shook his head in disbelief when hearing the sentence demand. "It's unbelievable the prosecutors only demanded the low sentence. In fact, he should get the maximum punishment," he told reporters on Tuesday.

In their dossier, police charged Hercules with violent conduct, attacking police officers and leading other people to commit a crime. On Monday, prosecutors at the West Jakarta court only demanded a six-month prison sentence.

"By paying attention to the related laws, [we] demand the judge finds Hercules guilty and that he serve six months in jail not including time served," presiding prosecutor Fajar Aris Setiawan said, as quoted by Kompas.com on Monday.

Hercules, a prominent supporter of he Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) and party chairman Prabowo Subianto's presidential bid, was arrested by police in March after he smashed store windows in Kembangan, West Jakarta, following a police order to rid the neighborhood of gang activity.

Police were sent to patrol Kembangan as part of an effort to clamp down on Hercules' Gerakan Rakyat Indonesia Baru civil-society organization, a group they accuse of using intimidation to run an extortion ring in the area. Hercules denied the accusation that his cohorts dealt in extortion, instead claiming they were employed with monthly salaries of Rp 2 million ($202).

Hercules said he had not decided whether he would object to the indictment, indicating he would continue to consult with his lawyers.