Aussie Bali murder suspect celebrates birthday behind bars

AUSSIE mum Sara Connor was said to be ‘sad’ and ‘reflective’ as she celebrated her 46th birthday in a Bali jail while facing murder charges.

BYRON Bay woman Sara Connor was “reflective” and “sad” today as she celebrated her 46th birthday inside Bali’s Kerobokan prison with a tiramisu cake.

Connor, who faces murder charges in Bali alongside her British boyfriend David Taylor, turned 46, one day after their first appearance in Denpasar District Court.

Her Australian barrister Peter Strain visited the jail along with members of the Indonesian legal team and two of Connor’s friends from Australia. Taylor also joined the birthday gathering.

Sara Connor's friend Ambra Bertoldi brings a cake during a visit her to in jail with her lawyer Peter Strain to celebrate Sara's birthday. Picture: Lukman S Bintoro

“She was reflective, I suppose is the best way of putting it,” Mr Strain said outside the jail of Connor’s spirits.

He said she was a bit sad but brightened up when the tiramisu birthday cake was brought out, reflecting Connor’s Italian heritage.

“Being Italian we had some tiramisu. She had a smile on her face when the tiramisu came out. Being Italian she enjoyed it, she was fine,” Mr Strain said.

There were however no birthday candles but plastic forks were brought by Connor’s Byron Bay based friend Ambra Bertoldi, who is supporting her in Bali.

The low-key birthday affair came one day after Connor pleaded with Judges at her murder trial that she is innocent of killing a Bali police officer on a Kuta beach.

Sara was said to be sad as she celebrated her birthday behind bars. Picture: Lukman S. Bintoro

Connor is clearly missing her boys, nine and 11, who remain in Byron Bay with her ex-husband.

She has not seen the boys since her arrest on August 19 but according to lawyers has spoken with them several times by telephone.

Connor, 46 and Taylor, 34, face charges of murdering Bali police officer Wayan Sudarsa on a Kuta beach in the early hours of August 17 this year. The couple face three charges each — murder, violence causing death and assault causing death. The murder charge carries a maximum penalty of 15 years.

Their legal teams have employed different strategies in defending the two. Connor’s lawyers will next week deliver an excepsi or a challenge to the charges she faces, arguing that she played no role in the actual killing of the officer and should face only charges of concealing evidence. But even her own lawyer, Erwin Siregar, concedes that such challenges are rarely successful.

Taylor’s lawyers have opted not to deliver any challenge and to go straight to hearing police witnesses next week. Taylor has already apologised to the victim’s family. They will argue later that the police officer’s death resulted from a fight between Taylor and the officer and that it was self-defence and there was no intent to murder.

Taylor said little during the hearing this week whilst an emotional Connor, struggling to compose herself, said: “I am innocent, I am innocent, please.”

Connor maintains that she played no role in the killing and that she was trying to separate her boyfriend and the victim from fighting on the fateful night. Her lawyers say she was trying to protect the victim not harm him.

And Taylor, who originally told police that Connor had told him she hit the officer, has since retracted that part of his statement, saying he cannot remember and was stressed.

Taylor’s lawyers say that he is in love with Connor.

Their trials, in the Denpasar District Court, are expected to last several months.