Aussie surfer arrested in Indonesia after alleged drunken rampage breaks his silence on the shocking incident: ‘I felt possessed’
- Aussie says he didn’t feel like himself during drunken rage
- He is alleged to have assaulted two men during rampage
- Facing five years in jail and 40 canes if found guilty
An Australian man accused of wreaking havoc on an Indonesian surf trip has claimed he did not feel like himself during the incident.
Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones, 23, from Noosa in Queensland, was arrested at the Lantik Moonbeach Resort on Simeulue Island off the coast of the Indonesian island of Sumatra after allegedly attacking locals during a drunken rampage on Thursday morning.
He is accused of knocking one man off his motorbike, leaving him with a gaping leg wound that needed 50 stitches and a broken bone.
Speaking outside of prison and flanked by officers, Risby-Jones said: ‘I feel like, not myself.’
‘Like, almost possessed, it was not a good feeling,’ he said.
‘I wasn’t myself, normally I’m a very nice guy.’
Police allege that Risby-Jones left his hotel room naked and drunk on vodka before assaulting a security guard and then the motorcyclist.
Risby-Jones disputes the claim he was drunk, instead claiming he had only one shot of vodka that was exacerbated by sunstroke he’d received while surfing.
‘We were at the pool, and we had a duty-free bottle of vodka. I only had one shot, just one shot,’ he claimed to the ABC.
He also claims that he was not naked but was instead wearing underwear.
It’s alleged he fled to the beach when a mob of locals formed to apprehend him before he was assaulted and a citizens’ arrest performed.
‘I’ve got hit a lot of times on the ground, people kicked my head, made me forget,’ Risby-Jones said of being apprehended by locals.
According to Simeulue police chief, detective Mayyuhdi, Rhys-Jones was on the surfing trip because ‘he was depressed’.
‘According to the people who were present at the scene, Bodhi went out of his room completely naked and yelling and causing a ruckus,’ he said.
‘The people there tried to stop him, but Bodhi hit one of them instead.’
The island of Simeulue is a surfing hotspot that happens to be a part of Aceh, the only province ruled under strict Sharia Law.
Speaking outside of prison, 23-year-old Noosa man Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones (pictured) said he didn’t feel like himself during an alleged drunken rampage on an Indonesian surfing trip
He was arrested on Thursday morning after allegedly assaulting a security guard and a motorcyclist who needed 50 stitches for a gash on his ankle
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had not been briefed when questioned about the incident on Saturday.
‘I don’t make comments about things that have happened overseas without being briefed,’ he said.
‘But DFAT, when incidents occur, DFAT do a very good job.’
Risby-Jones is facing two-and-a-half years imprisonment if the motorcyclist’s injuries are considered minor, or five-years imprisonment if they are considered major.
He may also be tried under Sharia Law over the charge of drinking alcohol which is illegal for Muslins and non-Muslims in the province, in which case he faces being caned 40 times.
Police can keep Rhys-Jones in custody for 20 days while they investigate.
