Sara Connor is one of 140 women locked up in Bali’s chronically overcrowded Kerobokan prison
SARA Connor is one of 140 women locked up in Bali’s chronically overcrowded Kerobokan prison, but it can be a very lonely place to live.
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SARA Connor is one of 140 women locked up in Bali’s Kerobokan prison.
The 46-year-old is currently sharing a cell with 10 women, all lying on thin yoga-like mattresses on the floor, side-by-side. During the day they roll them up to give space to move around.
Now that she has officially been convicted she may be allowed more privileges, like a proper mattress.
But life will not be easy.
Kerobokan prison, in the heart of Bali’s trendy Kerobokan-Seminyak tourist district is dreadfully overcrowded. Built for about 300 prisoners in total, it now houses 1378 inmates. All the women’s cells are also overcapacity.
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And while authorities have requested a new prison to cope with the overcrowding, any chance of that happening will be a distant reality.
Kerobokan Jail Governor Tony Nainggolan said that Connor is a kind detainee and had never caused any problems inside the jail.
For the past seven months, since her arrest on August 19 last year, Connor has had a lifeline to the outside world through her longtime family friend Ambra Bertoldi.
From her native Italy, the women have been friends for years — Connor is originally from Tuscany and Ambra from Italy’s north. They are like sisters, their families are friends.
Ms Bertoldi has been in Bali since Connor’s arrest, visiting her every day in prison and taking her food each day to ensure that she remains healthy.
Prison rations leave much to be desired and while male prisoners are allowed the luxury of small gas burners to cook and prepare their own meals, this is not something the women prisoners can do.
When Ms Bertoldi first heard that Connor had been arrested in Bali she thought it was a joke.
She was in Italy, having not long left Byron Bay after living there for four years and helping out in Connor’s homemade pasta business, Bryon Bay Fresh Pasta. She had planned to travel around South America.
But that has been on hold. Instead she flew straight to Bali to be with Connor. The first time she saw Connor, in the police holding cells at Denpasar police station after her arrest, the pair hugged and cried.
“She was super scared and confused and she could not believe what was happening. She was in shock, she was completely in shock,” Ms Bertoldi recalled.
Having put her own plans on hold to support her friend, Ms Bertoldi said it was not a sacrifice.
“She has always been helping me out, everyone says you are giving up so much to help her. I am just giving back what she has given me. I would not do it for anyone. I am doing it for her because she is the kind of person who deserves it,” Ms Bertoldi said.
She says Connor has always been a strong woman, always helping others in need.
“She is missed a lot, not only by her kids but everyone who knows her.
“I am sorry you are seeing her like this. She is so worried and sad and she is still in shock I think.”
Everyone who knows Connor, she said, knows she is not guilty of the crime for which she has been convicted and will continue supporting her.
Now that the verdict has been delivered, decisions need to be made about who will support her and care for her in Bali and about when her beloved two boys will visit.
Until now she has not wanted them to see her in jail, holding out hope that she would be freed and there would be need for them to be subjected to the reality of their mum in Kerobokan prison.
Originally published as Sara Connor is one of 140 women locked up in Bali’s chronically overcrowded Kerobokan prison
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