Indonesia to free Australian man arrested naked, drunk after compensation deal with rampage victim
- The 23-year-old man was detained in April after he was accused of drinking vodka and attacking several people near a surf resort in Aceh province
- He faced up to five years in prison and 40 lashes of the cane if convicted in Aceh, the only region in Muslim-majority Indonesia to practise sharia law
An Australian man arrested over a drunken rampage in a conservative Indonesian province is set to return home after he was freed from jail following a compensation deal with his victim.
Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones was detained in April after he was accused of drinking vodka and attacking several people, including a fisherman who fell from his motorcycle and was hospitalised with grievous foot injury, near a surf resort in Aceh province.
Risby-Jones faced five years in prison and 40 lashes of the cane in Aceh, the only region in Muslim-majority Indonesia to practise sharia law that also bans alcohol consumption.
Police said the 23-year-old ran drunk and naked from his hotel room while on a surfing holiday, striking people in the streets of Simeulue island. Officers found a vodka bottle in his hotel room, but the Queensland man claimed he only consumed one “tiny” shot and denied he was naked at the time of the incident.
Risby-Jones’ woes mounted as doctors said Edi Ron would need at least three months to recover from a broken ankle that required 50 stitches and surgery.
Edi’s wife earlier said the family was willing to pardon the Australian if he gives reparations to cover the man’s medical expenses.
Risby-Jones last week paid 250 million rupiah (US$16,817) as part of the settlement deal and told the fisherman’s spouse: “I am once again very sorry and I’m very happy that you accepted my apology.”
