Former Australian resident Jessica Wongso (left) with her friend Mirna Salihin. Wongso is accused of murdering Salihin at a Jakarta cafe in January this year.

Jessica Kumala Wongso was sentenced to 20 years prison in October after she was found guilty of lacing her friend Wayan Mirna Salihin’s iced coffee with cyanide in an up-market Jakarta cafe on January 6 this year.

The pair had studied together at the Billy Blue College of Design in Sydney and Swinburne University of Technology.

Three Judges in the Central Jakarta District Court sealed Wongso’s fate, calling her crime “vile and sadistic” and accused her of crocodile tears during the five-month trial.

Judges said they were satisfied it was the former Sydney woman’s malicious actions which killed her 27-year-old friend.

Wongso, 28, immediately told the court: “I cannot accept this verdict. I feel that this is not fair.”

Her lawyers said she would appeal.

The dramatic climax to the high profile trial was broadcast live from court and became a national spectacle.

Ms Salihin’s family broke down in tears at the verdict. “Thanks God” her sobbing mother said. Ms Salihin’s father Darmawan Salihin said Allah had revealed the evil one. He said he respected the Judge’s decision to give 20 years. The family had wanted death.

“The most important thing is that it has been proven that Jessica has killed Ms Salihin. She had sadistically poisoned Mirna,” Mr Salihin said.

Dermawam Salihin, the father of slain woman Mirna Salihin in Jakarta, wanted Wongso to be given the death penalty. Picture: Graham Crouch/The AustralianSource:News Corp Australia

Jessica Kumala Wongso, an Australian permanent resident, denies the premeditated murder of Sydney college friend Wayan Mirna Salihin, who collapsed and died after drinking the coffee at an up-market Jakarta cafe in January. Picture: AFP/ Bay IsmoyoSource:AFP

Jessica Kumala Wongso's lawyers react during her sentencing hearing at Central Jakarta District Court in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Oct. 27, 2016. Picture: AAP/Oscar SiagianSource:AAP

Relatives of victim Wayan Mirna Salihin hold signs outside the Central Jakarta court on October 27, 2016. Hundreds of people packed out an Indonesian court for the verdict in the sensational trial of Jessica Kumala Wongso. Picture AFP: Bay IsmoyoSource:AFP

The tragic end to Ms Salihin’s life came after she met Wongso and another friend, Hani, at the Olivier cafe in Grand Indonesia shopping mall.

Wongso had arrived early and was captured on CCTV cameras ordering drinks for her friends and appearing to conceal them and her hands behind shopping bags.

When Ms Salihin arrived and sipped the iced coffee she immediately started convulsing.

She was rushed to hospital and died that day.

Olivier Restaurant in Jakarta, Indonesia. Source: TripAdvisorSource:Supplied

CCTV footage of Jessica Kumala Wongso in the Olivier Restaurant, Jakarta. Picture: 60 MinutesSource:Channel 9

Prosecutors alleged Wongso killed Ms Salihin because she had advised her to break up with her Australian boyfriend Patrick O’Connor who was allegedly using drugs. Wongso denied the allegations.

“I only told her I was close with someone,” Wongso told the court.

“I didn’t tell her who he was or his name.”

Ms Salihin’s husband Arif Sunarko said she had fought with Wongso about Mr O’Connor in October 2014. He said Ms Salihin had told Wongso that Mr O’Connor was not good for her. Wongso allegedly stormed off, leaving Ms Salihin “afraid of her”.

Newlywed Wayan Mirna Salihin died from suspected cyanide poisoning.Source:Facebook

News.com.au exclusively revealed that Wongso, her parents and two siblings have been permanent residents of Australia, living in Sydney, since emigrating from Indonesia about eight years ago. Wongso was hired by NSW Ambulance in 2015 as a graphic designer, as also exclusively revealed by news.com.au.

NSW Ambulance communications manager Kristie Carter said Wongso was in hospital for self-harm at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in October 2015.

Ms Carter told police Wongso had said: “These bastards in this hospital didn’t allow me to go home and they treated me like a murderer. If I want to kill someone, I know for sure how, I could get a gun”.

In the statement Ms Carter — who wasn’t in court — described the Australian resident Wongso as a woman with “two personalities”.

“At one time, I saw Jessica as someone kind, who loves to smile and suddenly she could be someone quick to anger when someone didn’t follow what she wanted,” Ms Carter told police, the court heard.

Despite Wongso’s conviction, her supporters, including Sydney-based family members, continue to plead her innocence.

A Facebook page called ‘Save Jessica Kumala Wongso’ has more than 1000 members. Many have called for her release. Others have made videos, T-shirts and songs in support of her. Wongso’s legal team has lodged an appeal against her conviction with their focus expected to be on the lack of a complete autopsy and potential tampering of key prosecution.

Ms Salihin’s family had objected to a full autopsy being carried out on religious grounds. Only her stomach, liver and urine were tested.

While prosecutors said 298mg of cyanide was discovered in the coffee after Ms Salihin’s death, a test of her stomach 70 minutes after she died showed no traces of the poison.

When tests were conducted around three days after her death just 0.2 grams were found inside her stomach.

Defence experts from Australia said a natural cause of death couldn’t be ruled out and that based on the toxicology reports, it couldn’t be concluded that Ms Salihin had died from cyanide poisoning.

Wongso’s lawyer Otto Hasibuan said the discrepancies weren’t properly considered by the judges.

“I understand that they have a right not to accept the expert witness (testimony). But according to the law they must give reasons. They never did,” he said.

The CCTV presented at court from inside Olivier cafe — a key element of the prosecution case — was also not the original but a copy police had transferred to a flash drive.

Mr Hasibuan said the original CCTV was never given to the defence. This raises concerns it may have been tampered with and that frames may have been lost or deleted.

“We cannot compare the CCTV given to the court with the original one.”

The appeal will be heard in the Jakarta High Court.

megan.palin@news.com.au