A Noosa man accused of going on a drunken, naked rampage in a conservative Indonesian province has reportedly been released from jail.
ABC Radio said on Wednesday 7 June that Bodhi Risby-Jones, 23, had “struck a deal with the man’s family to avoid the case going to court”.
ABC Radio said Mr Risby-Jones went through a restorative justice process to resolve the case, reportedly paying $25,000 to his alleged victim.
He was quoted as saying he would “like to thank the prosecutors for helping me, I’d like to thank the police and everyone who helped us finalise and finish the deal so I could go home”.
The carpenter was detained in late April near a surf resort in Aceh province after he allegedly emerged naked from his hotel room and chased and struck people in the street, including a fisherman who needed stitches in his leg, Simeulue police chief Jatmiko said, according to Indonesian media.
Appearing under police guard after his arrest, Mr Risby-Jones said he felt like he was not himself and was “possessed“ during the incident.
“It was not a good feeling. It was not myself. I’m normally a nice guy,“ he said in an interview broadcast on ABC TV.
Aceh operates under a Sharia-based legal system and alcohol consumption is banned.
If he had been charged with assault and was found guilty, he would have faced a prison sentence of up to five years in Aceh.
