Aussie Mohamed Rifai faces five years in jail for Bali beach club ‘punch’

An Australian man could be thrown behind bars for allegedly landing a blow that left a security guard with missing teeth, with the reason behind the attack revealed in a Bali court.

A Sydney man accused of punching out the teeth of a Bali security guard was being chased for an $1800 bill at the time of the attack.

Mohamed Rifai is facing up to five years’ jail for the attack at the Finns Beach Club, a luxurious hangout owned by a former Sydney Swans player.

Mr Rifai, who denies the charges, was accused of hitting a security guard Made Bagus Yohanandita who was detaining his friend.

The Sydney man’s group had charged up an $1800 bar tab before the incident, which left the security guard with missing teeth.

Mohamed Rifai, from south-west Sydney, appears in a Bali court.

Mr Rifai maintains that he did not hit the security guard because it happened on the same night as a wild brawl at the club which went viral on social media.

He said that security were unprofessional when they took his friend John Ebid out of the club and pushed him onto the ground in the club’s parking lot.

“It’s true that John Ebid was taken out. But in my opinion, their action was not professional as John Ebid was pushed to the floor and handcuffed,” he told the court.

Footage from the February 11 incident.

Mr Rifai’s defence was delayed until next week because of a backlog of cases in the Denpasar District Court on Thursday.

He has previously denied drinking alcohol on the night of the incident on February 11.

Mr Rifai and his friends had been in a booth next door to a Singaporean group.

They two parties had been in dispute during the night and security kicked out Mr Rifai.

Finns Beach Club advertises itself as a “party seven days a week” with a daily happy hour and bottle service alcohol, where groups are left with a bottle of Grey Goose Vodka or champagne to share.

Gede Rudi, a security guard who was working at Finns on the night, said he was keeping order on the dance floor.

“When the guests were taken out (John Ebid), I went out and saw the guests making a fuss outside,” he said, according to a translation.

“Rifai and his friend were there. Suddenly Rifai and his friends came. Rifai hit Yohanadita once. I don’t know the cause of the beating.”

Mr Rifai’s father was supporting him in court but declined to comment when approached outside.

The case was due to return to court on May 22.

Originally published as Aussie Mohamed Rifai faces five years in jail for Bali beach club ‘punch’