Australian mother Sara Connor is expected to face a charge of participating in a murder after her British boyfriend allegedly admitted to hitting a police officer with a mobile phone, a beer bottle, and binoculars.
More than four days after they were arrested and following hours of gruelling interrogations, a clearer picture of what happened the night Bali police officer Wayan Sudarsa's bloodied body was discovered on Kuta beach covered in wounds has emerged.
Speaking outside Denpasar Police Station on Tuesday, the district's police chief Hadi Purnomo said they now believe Mr Taylor's first account was "a lie".
“Yesterday they expressed their regret for what they have done over that lost purse," he added.
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David Taylor’s lawyers said the 35-year-old has admitted to bashing the veteran police officer. Mr Taylor’s lawyer, Eric Sihombing, alleged his client accused the victim of stealing the missing handbag, search his pockets, then repeatedly hit him on the head.
“It's like a spontaneous reaction from him” Mr Sihombing told reporters.
“When he's struggling with this man, apparently he found this bottle and he's trying to hit this man with the bottle."
Mr Taylor also used a mobile phone and binoculars as weapons, while Ms Connor insists she tried to break up the fight.
After more than nine hours of interrogation at Denpasar Police Station on Monday, the Byron Bay woman’s legal team emerged after 10pm local time (12am AEST) and explained to waiting reporters what their client said occurred that fatal night almost one week ago.
Ms Connor and Mr Taylor, they said, had been down at Kuta beach late Tuesday night and were "kissing" when she realised she lost her purse.
Mr Taylor approached Mr Sudarsa asking him what he knew about the purse. Her lawyer Erwin Siregar said she saw Mr Taylor throw a punch but isn't sure how many.
But District Police Chief Mr Purnomo said it was Ms Connor who first approached Mr Sudarsa about the lost purse, allegedly insisting he knew what happened to it.
“Then David came ... David searched him ...accusing him of being the perpetrator. David even said that the policeman was a fake,” Mr Purnomo alleged.
Offended, he said Mr Sudarsa pushed Mr Taylor, sparking a fight.
“There was bottle, then he smashed it to the victim.
“David was getting crazier and hitting the victim with that broken bottle.”
Late Monday night Mr Taylor’s legal team said after the pair had left Kuta for nearby Jimbaran, Ms Connor received a call from Australia telling her "there was a problem in Bali".
His legal team say they burnt the clothes before going to the Australian consulate in Denpasar where they were arrested on Friday afternoon.
"They found a stain (sic) of blood and hair," Mr Sihombing said.
"That's why they tried to get rid of them by burning their clothes."
Mr Purnomo said Ms Connor would face the additional charge of participation in a murder.
"In her alibi, David told Sara to relax, the victim was just fainted. He would wake up. Let's just leave him."
"In this incident, the suspect is two people. None others," Mr Purnomo told reporters.
But Sara Connor’s lawyers said the 45-year-old only attempted to break up the fight, and had no idea the officer was dead when she left the beach.
“David said to her maybe he is just passed out, not die (sic),” her lawyer Robert Khuana explained.
Ms Connor and Mr Taylor already face alternate charges of murder, manslaughter and assault causing death in company, and face up to 15 years in jail if found guilty.
The couple face a lengthy legal process, as they can be held for 100 days of police questioning before prosecution takes over the case. Lawyers explained that the case is not expected to reach the courts until November or December.
