Update as Bonnie Blue reportedly released from police custody in Bali
There’s an update on the situation surrounding the controversial porn star – with local authorities revealing the ordeal is far from over.
Bonnie Blue has been released from police custody and will be interrogated over the next 48 hours by Indonesian immigration officials after being arrested in Bali last week.
The British sex worker and a group of 17 male tourists, aged between 19 and 40, were taken into custody on Thursday afternoon following a raid of a studio in Badung.
Local police arrested the group for allegedly making X-rated material, despite the country’s strict “morality” laws.
The 14 Australian men who were arrested were released without charge the same day, and now news.com.au has confirmed that Blue, whose real name is Tia Billinger, was “allowed to leave Saturday morning”.
“She has been released, she’s co-operating with authorities and the police are continuing to investigate,” Blue’s spokesperson told news.com.au.
Ngurah Rai Immigration official, Raja Ulul Azmi, told a local media outlet that officials were deciding on how to proceed with her case, stressing that while it was being handled by immigration, police were still involved.
“We’re gathering information in coordination with the Badung Police. We’re recording and monitoring his activities to see if they’re in accordance with his residence permit. If there are no violations, we’ll issue a warning to encourage him to be more careful while enjoying his vacation in Bali,” Mr Azmi told detikbali.
He also confirmed that Blue entered Bali on a tourist visa and claimed the 26-year-old porn star – who gained global infamy when she allegedly slept with 1057 men in 12 hours at the start of the year – would be interviewed alongside two British men and one other Australian on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“We have scheduled Bonnie and three men from England to be examined the day after tomorrow,” he explained on Monday.
The 14 Aussie men have already been interviewed by authorities at an office in Jimbaran, near Kuta, on Monday.
None of the group has been charged, but Mr Azmi said their passports have been confiscated.
If prosecuted and found guilty under the law, Blue faces up to 15 years imprisonment in Indonesia and fines up to 6 billion rupiah (approximately $541,000), which are the maximum penalties.
Philo Dellano, a managing partner at the PNB Immigration, a law firm in Jakarta specialising in helping foreigners deal with Indonesian immigration and legal matters, told news.com.au that if found guilty, Blue will likely be deported and banned from ever entering Indonesia again rather than prosecuted and imprisoned.
“She is being detained by the police, which means they can proceed to prosecute her,” Dellano said.
“But in my opinion, if there is an ‘invisible hand’ that requests that she be deported, she can be transferred to the nearest immigration office, from where she will be deported from Indonesia.”
Badung Police Chief, Arif Batubara, said previously that action was taken after the public reported the alleged creation of an pornographic video.
Police and a team of officers from the Immigration department have since raided a holiday rental in Pererenan Village, Mengwi District, described by the Bali Express as “an obscene video studio”, which is suspected of being used to produce “content containing pornographic or immoral elements”.
Many of the men were seen leaving a police station on Monday, covering their faces with T-shirts and even a Macca’s takeaway bag, 7News reported.
Badung Police seized Blue’s “bang bus” as part of its investigation, as well as a number of other items, including several cameras, condoms, sexual enhancement pills and USB drives.
“Investigators found several cameras and several contraceptive devices,” Police Chief Batubara told detikBali.
It comes after Blue was banned from Australia last year after her “barely legal” Schoolies stunt garnered public outcry.
As she couldn’t enter Australia for Schoolies, the adult content creator – known for “rage baiting” – attended events in Bali where she posted call outs to school leavers holidaying in the area.
“Hey boys, those who are going to Schoolies, and those that are barely legal, cannot wait to meet you,” she said in one post.
“I’m in Bali so you know exactly what that means.”
Footage of her driving around in the blue pick-up truck with young men subsequently circulated on social media.
Blue was banned from Australia on the grounds of allegations that she intended to contravene her 12-month visa by working.
However, she recently hinted that she’d found a way to get around the legal restrictions, telling A Current Affair: “I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say, I’ve got good lawyers and I will be doing schoolies this year.”
However, news.com.au revealed that wasn’t true at all, and the branded bus – which was seen all over the Gold Coast recently – didn’t actually have her inside it.
Originally published as Update as Bonnie Blue reportedly released from police custody in Bali
