An Australian woman jailed with her British DJ boyfriend for beating a Bali policeman to death was freed yesterday after nearly four years in prison on the Indonesian holiday island.
Sara Connor, 49, left Kerobokan prison and was placed in the hands of immigration authorities to await deportation, Bali officials said.
Connor and David Taylor were convicted in 2017 of fatally assaulting officer Wayan Sudarsa, whose battered body was found in the popular tourist area of Kuta the previous year. Sudarsa’s blood-soaked body was covered with dozens of wounds on his neck, chest and head. Connor was given early release from her five-year term for good behaviour, while Taylor is serving a six-year jail sentence for his role in the attack.
Taylor, whose stage name was DJ Nutzo, had admitted getting into a fight with Sudarsa on the beach after accusing the officer of stealing Connor’s handbag, and admitted hitting him with items including binoculars and a beer bottle. However, Taylor claimed at trial that he had feared for his life and acted in self-defence during the late-night brawl.
Mother-of-two Connor had maintained her innocence, insisting she only intervened to try to break up the fight. This claim was rejected by a Bali court that said she held down the victim as Taylor beat him.
The pair fled the scene but Connor’s driving licence and ATM card were found next to the body.
After police launched a massive manhunt for the couple, they took refuge in the Australian consulate in Bali but later handed themselves over to local authorities.
At trial, prosecutors said the pair, who were tried separately, should not be convicted of murder because they did not intend to kill the officer.
A file photo shows British national David Taylor with Australian national Sara Connor as they are transferred from Kerobokan prison ahead of their court appearance in Denpasar on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali.
