Bali police killing: Australian woman and British man named as suspects

Australian woman Sara Connor (centre) is escorted by Indonesian police. She has been arrested over the alleged murder of a police officer in Bali. Photograph: Putra Sinulingga/AAP

An Australian woman and a British man have been named as suspects in the murder of an Indonesian policeman on the resort island of Bali.

"We named them suspects based on the evidence we have acquired. Even if they do not confess, it doesn't matter," said Denpasar police chief Hadi Purnomo, according to the Jakarta Post.

Sara Connor, from Byron Bay in New South Wales, and her British boyfriend, David James Taylor, a DJ, were arrested on Friday over the murder of traffic officer Wayan Sudarsa three days earlier.

Sudarsa's bruised body was found with wounds to the head and neck early on Wednesday on Kuta beach, a popular tourist spot in the south of the island. A broken bottle was discovered nearby.

David Taylor. Photograph: HKV/Barcroft Images

The naming of Connor and Taylor as suspects is a formal step in the Indonesian legal system, and means detectives believe they have enough evidence to consider filing charges and keep the pair detained.

"Her status is now as a suspect. They presume it was murder," said Connor's lawyer, Erwin Siregar, in Denpasar. "The maximum sentence for that is 15 years." She could also face lesser charges related to the murder.

Authorities launched a hunt for Connor and Taylor after Connor's debit card and driving licence were allegedly found at the crime scene.

Siregar said the pair had drunk beer before going to the beach about 11pm, where there was kissing. No drugs were involved, he added.

The officer said Connor had complained of being tired and police postponed the interrogation.

Taylor's lawyer, Haposan Sihombing, was quoted by Fairfax Media saying his client had not admitted to committing the murder. He said Connor and Taylor had been on the beach separately to look for Connor's lost bag when Taylor noticed a man lying in the sand and tried to help.

Indonesian policemen carry the coffin of Wayan Sudarsa at his funeral. Photograph: Sonny Tumbelaka/AFP/Getty Images

"According to [Taylor's] version, when his hand was near the man's face, suddenly his fingers were bitten," Haposan said, adding that Taylor then left.

When the pair went back to their accommodation, Connor told Taylor that she had been attacked by a "bad cop" who "pushed her down to the sand and lay on top of her", the lawyer said.

"She screamed for help [and] several people pulled the bad officer off her – that's how she managed to escape. She managed to get away because there were people who helped her after she screamed," Haposan added.

Connor's lawyer did not confirm details of this account. However, police found blood where the pair were staying. Authorities want to find the clothes Connor and Taylor were wearing on the morning the officer died, and also want to speak to a taxi driver.

The accused pair have returned to the beach with police to describe what happened on the night the officer died. They have also been subjected to forensic examinations, and Connor has been to hospital for an examination of leg wounds she said she suffered on the night of the death.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are providing assistance to a British national who was arrested in Bali, Indonesia and we remain in contact with the local authorities."

On Sunday Connor's family issued a statementsaying the 45-year-old is a good mother who loves her two sons aged nine and 11.

"The accusations laid against her are totally out of character for this beautiful person. Her love for her boys is the biggest love in her life. She is very passionate about life and exudes enthusiasm wherever she goes," Connor's family said.

Bali, a pocket of Hinduism in Muslim-majority Indonesia, is a popular tourist destination known for its tropical climate and palm-fringed beaches.

Agence France-Presse and Australian Associated Press contributed to this report

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