Accused Bali cop killers Sara Connor and David Taylor appear in court, she says she didn’t deliberately destroy evidence

SARA Connor has denied deliberately destroying evidence to cover up the killing of a Bali police officer, saying she would have been more thorough.

Australian Sara Connor listen to the translator during the trial at Denpasar District Court in Bali. Picture: Supplied

BYRON Bay woman Sara Connor says that she had no need to destroy evidence after her boyfriend fought on a Bali beach with a police officer and that she would have done a better job if she was concealing evidence.

Connor maintained that she had no idea the police officer was seriously injured that night and that her boyfriend David Taylor had told her the officer was “just passed out”.

She said after the couple went back to their homestay, after the incident, she took a shower and when she emerged the police officer’s wallet and phone was on the bed.

Australian Sara Connor and other prisoners arrive at Denpasar District Court for her trial in Bali. Picture: Lukman S. Bintoro

Connor says she asked Taylor for scissors and when Taylor was in the shower she cut up the cards.

“I wanted to cut the cards, I didn’t want the cards to be used or found by anybody and be used, taken advantage of his identity or is cards.

“I didn’t know that anything that serious happened, the only thing I wanted to do was to protect his identity. I didn’t have the need to conceal evidence, there was no crime for me. I didn’t have a need to destroy evidence. If I did I would have done a better job ... I didn’t touch the wallet or the SIM card.”

British prisoner David Taylor arrives at Denpasar District Court for his trial in Bali. Picture: Lukman S. Bintoro

Connor told the court that because there was no bin in the homestay room and the couple was checking out the day after the incident, which occurred in the early hours of August 17 last year, she took the rubbish on the motorbike and threw it away later that day.

Connor testified that it was not until Friday morning, several days after the incident, that she turned on her mobile phone and received messages from friends in Australia that she was wanted in Bali and that her ID cards had been found near the body of murdered police officer Wayan Sudarsa.

Before going to the Australian Consulate in Bali, the couple burned the clothes they were wearing on the night of the murder.

“We were desperate. He (Taylor) mentioned to burn the clothes. (I said) Let’s just chuck them away, I wanna go to the Consulate. He wanted to burn it so I didn’t complain. I was so sad, somebody just lost his life, we didn’t know, I didn’t know anything,” Connor told the court.

Australian Sara Connor listen to the translator during the trial at Denpasar District Court in Bali. Picture: Supplied

She said the couple was unaware the officer had died and they would have gone to police if she had known.

Connor recounted what she has previously said — that her only role was jumping in between her boyfriend and the officer as they fought on the beach that night in a bid to break up the fight. She testified that she played no role in the fight and had no idea the officer was seriously injured until several days later.

Taylor has testified that he feared for his own life during the fight and that he hit the officer with his own binoculars, a mobile phone, a large Bintang beer bottle and his fists.

The court has already heard medical evidence officer Sudarsa, a father of two, may have lived for two hours after Connor and Taylor left him on the beach and that if help had been sought and he was taken to hospital he may have survived.

One of the judges asked Connor if she had family in Australia.

“I have two beautiful children at home, they miss me very much, I miss and I love (them) very deeply.”

David Taylor listen to the translator during the trial at Denpasar District Court in Bali. Picture: Supplied

Both Connor and Taylor were questioned by judges about how much they had drunk that night.

“I was not drunk, if that’s what you are, I was not drunk,” Connor told the court.

Taylor said during his trial that he had three beers and had shared an Arak cocktail with Connor over a six-hour period. He was also asked how much he usually drank in Australia.

Taylor told the judges during his own trial it was not his idea to cut up the cards but that is was done to ensure they could not be used by other persons.

One of the judges told Taylor this was a different situation, the owner of the cards was lying on the sand, not like a normal healthy person throwing away a used card.

“Can I just remind you, it was not my idea, I did not cut the cards. Sara cut the cards while I was in the shower,” Taylor told the court.

Australian Sara Connor escorted from the cell of Denpasar District Court for her trial in Bali. Picture: Supplied

Taylor also told his trial that he was in Bali on that occasion because his former wife had gone behind his back to Immigration regarding his visa status and he had been forced to leave Australia.

“The short version is I separated with my wife. She went behind my back and informed Immigration. I had to leave Australia and I came to Bali in an attempt to get a visa to return to Australia,” Taylor told the court when asked why he was in Bali.

“A lawyer in Australia had told me that if I left I could return on a tourist visa. So I came to Bali in an attempt to get a tourist visa to go back to Australia.”

Taylor, 34 and his 46-year-old girlfriend, Sara Connor, both face three charges each in relation to the death of the police officer — murder (unpremeditated), assault causing death and violence causing death.

The murder charge carries a maximum 15 years in jail.

The couple is facing separate trials in the Denpasar District Court which are now coming to a conclusion. On Tuesday both Taylor and Connor testified in their own cases in a bid to convince the Judges they are not guilty and they do not deserve a jail term.

Next week, on February 21, prosecutors will deliver the sentence demand or recommendation for what sentence Connor and Taylor should get if convicted.