DENPASAR ~ A man selling turtle kebabs has been charged with keeping, killing and selling a protected animal, and faces five years in prison, a Denpasar District Court judge said.

Judge Agung Kusumayasa Diputra said Wayan Kayun was arrested on March 13 while preparing turtle kebabs at his house on Jl. Bukit Hijau Simpangan, South Kuta.

Police confiscated turtle skins and bones, one cutting board, two knives and an axe from Kayun’s house.

Kayun claimed that he wasn’t aware that what he was doing was illegal, and asked the judge not to punish him too harshly.

The trial continues next week.