Bali Nine mule Renae Lawrence exploits love life

Renae Lawrence accused of cashing in on criminal notoriety after being paid to speak about her love life behind bars.

Bali Nine member Renae Lawrence. Picture: AAP

Bali Nine drug runner Renae Lawrence has been accused of cashing in on her criminal notoriety after being paid to do an interview about her love life behind bars in Kerobokan Prison.

The Australian can reveal the convicted smuggler received fin­ancial remuneration for opening up to glossy magazine New Idea about her longstanding relationship with Indonesian partner Agus Erna Wijayanti, whom she met while they were both serving time in the notorious Balinese prison for drug-related offences.

In the interview, the 43-year-old said she had met Wijayanti at her “lowest ebb” and that they had become “one another’s rock”.

“We gave each other endless support through the good and rough times,” she said.

“She was very supportive, always looking after me, making sure that I was OK.”

Lawrence lives in Newcastle and Wijayanti, 40, resides in Java, but the Australian drug mule said she still spoke to her girlfriend on an almost daily basis and added: “Maybe one day we will marry.”

Under Australia’s Proceeds of Crime Act, it is an offence for anyone convicted of an indictable offence to derive “any benefit … from the commercial exploitation of (their) notoriety” as a result of their criminal history.

The editorial team at New Idea magazine would not discuss whether paying Lawrence breached the Proceeds of Crime legislation when approached for comment on Monday.

The interview comes after fellow convicted Bali drug runner Schapelle Corby raised eyebrows after she reportedly pocketed a six-figure sum for appearing in the Seven Network’s reality endurance show, SAS Australia.

Criminal defence lawyer and former Queensland Law Society president Bill Potts said it was illegal for any convicted criminals to profit from selling their story through sponsorships or media interview deals — whether it be $200 or $200,000.

Although Corby might have been able to circumvent the legislation by not directly discussing her crime, he said that the magazine’s interview with Lawrence warranted further investigation by the Australian Federal Police as the story revolved around a relationship she formed in prison as a direct result of her crime.

“We live in a Ned Kelly culture and we somehow glorify the exploits of people who are, in fact, criminals,” Mr Potts said

“Had Renae Lawrence been able to carry out her plan, untold misery would have spread on the streets of Australia and she would have profited handsomely.

“We have seen numerous attempts over the years to get around (the legislation) and it’s often by, for example, people reporting the story from an unknown source or someone having their sister talk about their experiences in a thinly veiled attempt to cover up the real story.

“There is often a very fine line between what is human interest and what is human voyeurism; the fine line she’s drawing is that this is a human interest story, but the only reason it’s of any interest to New Idea or the public is because of her notoriety … That is not to say people who have been released from prison can’t tell their story, but the law is designed to stop them profiting it from it.”