Melbourne mates accused of bashing, stealing in Bali

Two young Melbourne men holidaying in Bali together to let off steam have ended up locked in a Kuta police cell to cool off.

Two young Melbourne men have been arrested in Bali and are locked up in a Kuta police cell after being accused of assault and stealing.

In a cautionary tale for the thousands of schoolies about to descend on Bali from next week, the two Australians have been declared suspects in separate cases.

The men were on holiday together and are accused of two separate crimes — one man is accused of an assault in a Kuta street while the other is accused of stealing from the villa complex where the men were staying.

Aaron Paul Whitelaw, 22 and his friend Liam Connor Leppin, 21, are both now locked up at Kuta police station cells.

Liam Connor Leppin, 21, is in police custody after being arrested and accused of stealing from a Bali villa complex where he and his friends were staying.

Melbourne man Aaron Paul Whitelaw, 22, has been accused of assault in a Kuta street.

Kuta Police general crime chief, Putu Ika Prabawa, said both men had been declared suspects and could face jail time if convicted of the cases.

The duo was arrested on Sunday morning after investigations into two separate cases.

Police said the first incident occurred about 9.30pm last Thursday in a Kuta street when a local man was allegedly punched in the face, head and ear by three foreigners, who then ran away.

Police allege this speaker was stolen by Melbourne man Liam Connor Leppin, who is now in custody in a Bali police jail.

However one of them left his rental motorbike near the scene and when police arrived to investigate the assault they tracked down the Australian man from the bike rental company.

Police said that Aaron Paul Whitelaw, a painter, was tracked down at a tattoo studio in Kuta and that he had allegedly admitted punching the victim after being disturbed by people at the front of the studio with a kind of flashlight which gave a small electric shock.

It is alleged that Liam Connor Leppin was involved in stealing from the villa complex where he was staying.

Police said Aaron Paul Whitelaw, a painter, was tracked down at a tattoo studio in Kuta.

Then, several days later it is alleged that Whitelaw’s friend, Liam Connor Leppin, a bricklayer, was involved in stealing from the villa complex where they were staying.

Police said early last Saturday morning staff at the villa noticed that the safety deposit box in the housekeeping area was missing.

Inside was a watch, a mobile phone, and iPad, power banks and gold earrings. Staff also discovered that a speaker in an unoccupied villa at the complex was also missing.

The total cost of the goods was about $1500.

Called to the villa, police watched CCTV footage of the alleged robbery and before long Leppin had been tracked down and arrested. Police allege that a white mobile phone stolen from the villa was found.

The stealing charge, under which Leppin is being detained, carries a five-year maximum jail term while assault carries a two year and eight months maximum term.

The men have been held in the police jail cells at Kuta police station since their arrest on the weekend. A third friend, travelling with them, has been visiting them at the jail