Aussie in luxury hotel water-slide brawl in Bali faces jail

Ali Shahrouk faces jail for hitting a German woman after she was pulled into a hotel pool, narrowly avoiding Mr Shahrouk’s child, while she was arguing with another tourist.

Apurva Kempinski Hotel in Bali.

A Sydney father is facing up to six months in jail in Bali for allegedly punching and slapping a German woman in the face after her toddler was pushed down a water slide at one of the Indonesian tourist island’s most luxurious hotels.

Ali Shahrouk, 38, was staying at the upscale Apurva Kempinski hotel in Nusa Dua on January 29 with his family when an altercation erupted between German tourist Christin Steinrode Tiller and another tourist, Samer Beckdache, whose older child was accused of pushing her three-year-old from the slide.

According to Denpasar court documents, Ms Tiller confronted Mr Beckdache after being told of the incident by another guest.

The altercation soon became physical with Ms Tiller pushing him into the pool and Mr Beckdache grabbing her hair, pulling her in with him.

Bali prosecutors have alleged Mr Shahrouk then approached Ms Tiller and another argument ensued which also turned physical, leading to the Sydney man allegedly slapping and punching the woman in the face causing bruising and fractures to her nose and jaw.

“The victim was taken to BIMC hospital Nusa Dua for medical treatment while her husband reported the incident to South Kuta police,” prosecutors said.

Mr Shahrouk has been held in custody ever since and charged with assault which, under Indonesian law, attracts a maximum penalty of two years and eight months jail.

His Bali lawyer told The Australian Mr Shahrouk had been in the pool with his own child at the time Ms Tiller and Mr Beckdache had fallen into the water and had confronted her out of concern over the danger she had posed to them.

“She almost hit the child of the defendant, our client, when they fell in the pool and because of that he told them off, like ‘Hey, you almost hit my child’,” Sabam Antonius told The Australian.

“Instead of her responding calmly, our client was insulted and spat on. He backed away and the woman started yelling. Then she scratched our client and as a reflex he slapped her.

“He realised his mistake. There was a commotion, security came. Apparently she reported it to police. He acknowledged his wrongdoing and apologised …but the legal process continued.”

Mr Antonius said his client, who admitted to slapping Ms Tiller but denied punching her, had sought reconciliation with the German tourist but she had returned home with her family soon after reporting him to the police. “If they really wanted to see our client punished, they should have come to court to present their side,” he said.

Prosecutors noted his polite and co-operative behaviour during trial and his status as a first-time offender as the mitigating factor, and asked the Denpasar District Court to sentence Shahrouk to six months in prison, reduced by time served in detention. The court will read the sentence on May 20.