Brit accused of murdering Bali police officer reconstructs death

David Taylor and his Australian girlfriend Sara Connor appear on beach in orange prison outfits

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(Image credit: Andri Tambunan/Getty Images)

A British man and his Australian girlfriend accused of murdering a police officer in Bali have taken part in a reconstruction of the night Wayan Sudarsa died.

David Taylor, 33, and Sara Connor, 45, arrived at Kuta beach dressed in orange prison outfits with their names printed on signs around their necks. They were escorted by scores of police officers, reports Sky News.

Sudarsa's body was discovered with head and neck wounds on the beach on 17 August. The circumstances of his death remain unclear.

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Taylor admits to having a "confrontation" with the deceased officer and striking him with a beer bottle, leaving him unconscious, but denies killing him, according to his lawyer, Haposan Sihombing.

However, Sihombing has previously said his client admitted hitting Sudarsa with a pair of binoculars.

Connor, meanwhile, claimed she saw Taylor "beating" the traffic officer as she looked for her handbag.

But her lawyer has also claimed Connor saw the policeman lying face down on the beach and when she approached to ask him whether he had seen her bag, he bit her on the leg.

Among the re-enactments staged during the reconstruction was an alleged confrontation between Sudarsa and Taylor over Connor's lost purse.

Taylor, a musician with the stage name DJ Nutzo, and Connor were named as suspects and arrested two days after the killing while seeking protection at the Australian consulate.

They have since been detained and questioned by police in Denpasar. They face up to 15 years in jail if found guilty of murder.

Brit accused of murdering Bali police officer promises 'to tell all'

22 August

A British man held on suspicion of murdering a police officer in Bali is prepared to tell the "whole truth", his lawyer has said.

David James Taylor, a DJ, and his Australian girlfriend, Sara Connor, are being questioned by Indonesian authorities over the death of Wayan Sudarsa, whose body was found on a popular tourist beach in the early hours of 17 August.

Police have 100 days to build their case against the pair, who are charged with murder, assault causing death and group assault. They face 15 years in prison if convicted.

Taylor's lawyer, Haposan Sihombing, said his client had promised to "tell everything in all honesty".

Connor reportedly told Taylor she had been attacked by a "bad cop" on Kuta beach on 16 August, although it is unclear whether she was referring to Sudarsa.

"She told him [Taylor] that she was pushed and he lay on top of her on the sand," Sihombing told the Australian Associated Press. "She screamed and there were some people helping her."

Hours later, Sudarsa's beaten body was found on the beach, with more than 40 wounds to his neck and face, thought to have been inflicted with a broken bottle found nearby.

A debit card and driving licence belonging to Connor were allegedly found at the crime scene, as well as blood that police claim is "identical" to samples recovered at the Kubu Kauh Beach Inn where Taylor and Connor were staying.

Denpasar District Police Chief Hadi Purnomo has denied Sudarsa was involved in an assault, but says police are investigating bite marks on Connor's hand and leg that might have been sustained in a struggle.

"We named them suspects based on the evidence we have acquired," he told the Jakarta Post. "Even if they do not confess, it doesn't matter."

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