A British man was Monday jailed for six years over the killing
of a policeman who was beaten to death on a beach on the Indonesian resort
island of Bali.
David Taylor, 34, was found guilty by a court on the island of
fatal group assault over the killing of officer Wayan Sudarsa, whose battered
body was found in August last year.
The court was due to hand down its verdict for his Australian
girlfriend Sara Connor, 46, later Monday.
Sudarsa’s blood-soaked body was found covered with dozens
of wounds on his neck, chest and head.
Taylor admitting getting into a fight with Sudarsa on the beach
after accusing the officer of stealing Connor’s handbag, and hitting him with
items including binoculars and a beer bottle.
However, he claimed during his four-month trial that he had been
in “fear of his life” and acted in self defence during the late-night brawl,
and never intended to kill the officer.
Handing down the verdict and sentence, chief judge Yanto, who
like many Indonesians goes by one name, told the court in the Balinese capital
Denpasar that Taylor had been “legitimately and convincingly proven guilty” of
group assault causing death.
It was shorter than the eight-year term demanded by prosecutors
at an earlier hearing.
Taylor and mother-of-two Connor, who are based in Australia and
had been on holiday on Bali, had been accused of murder as well as two lesser
charges, including group assault causing death.
But prosecutors said they should not be convicted of murder,
recognising that the pair did not intend to kill the officer.
A murder conviction would have carried a maximum jail term of 15
years.
Connor, who has been tried separately from Taylor, has
maintained her innocence, saying that she only tried to pull the men apart as
they fought. Prosecutors have recommended an eight-year jail term for her.
The pair fled the scene but Connor’s driving licence and ATM
card were found next to the body, and police later caught them.
Bali, a pocket of Hinduism in Muslim-majority Indonesia, is a
popular tourist destination known for its tropical climate and palm-fringed
beaches.
Minor crime is common but murders are rare.
