DENPASAR, Indonesia (AP) – A British man convicted of murdering a traffic police officer on Indonesia’s tourist island of Bali, was released from prison on Thursday after completing his sentence.
David Taylor, who originally promoted himself as DJ Nutzo from Halifax, and his Australian girlfriend, Sara Connor, were arrested in August 2016 for fatally attacking officer Wayan Sudarsa. His bloodied body was found on the beach outside the Pullman Hotel in the popular tourist area of Kuta.
The 38-year-old Taylor admitted that he repeatedly hit the officer with a cellphone, binoculars and a broken beer bottle, leaving him with his face down and unconscious. But he said he did not realize Sudarsa would die. He showed remorse and apologized.
They are charged with committing violence that led to death, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 12 years.
During the trial, Connor, who is on trial on the same charge, said she was not an active participant in the attack. But the judges found that her role had prevented Sudarsa, a member of Bali’s police force for 35 years, from defending himself.
Prosecutors asked Taylor and Connor to serve eight years in prison, but a court in March 2017 sentenced Taylor to six years and Connor to four years. She appealed, and a higher court increased her sentence to five years.
Taylor, wearing a mask, black T-shirt and guitar, was escorted on Thursday by a crowd of reporters outside the Kerobokan prison in Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali, in a guard who took him to the airport. He did not comment.
He received a total of 18 months and 15 days of sentence reductions, which are mostly granted to prisoners on major holidays, said Fikri Jaya, the chief warden of the Kerobokan prison.
Taylor is also involved in activities organized by correctional officers. “He was entitled to the reduction of sentence,” Jaya said.
He said Taylor would be placed in a detention cell at the immigration office while awaiting a flight to the UK on Thursday night.
Connor, 49, was deported to Australia in July last year. She served just under four years.
Connor and Taylor drank beer on the beach in the hours before the late-night incident. Taylor said he fought with Sudarsa, who was on duty, after Connor realized she had lost her handbag and accused Sudarsa of being a fake police officer and stealing it.