Bali drug accused 'innocent'

Leeza Tracey Ormsby
Leeza Tracey Ormsby
A Sydney musician who stayed at the same Bali villa as Kiwi woman Leeza Ormsby - now facing up to 20 years in jail for drugs charges - says she is innocent, an Australian news outlet reports.

According to the Sunday Telegraph, musician Azaria Byrne and his partner had been booked for three nights at the luxury villa in the Denpasar suburb of Dalung.

Because they only planned to stay for two nights, Mr Byrne let one of his friends use it for their final night of accommodation.

He and his partner handed over the keys before they left for the Ngurah Rai Airport that evening, he told the Telegraph.

The next day, Bali police raided the villa and allegedly found methamphetamine, ecstasy and marijuana. At the time, the villa was registered under Mr Byrne's name, the Telegraph reported.

Ormsby has been charged in relation to the drug raid. She is originally from Rotorua and is understood to have been living in Sydney.

"I think she's innocent," Mr Byrne told the Telegraph.

"This came as an absolute surprise and shock to me. I'm never going to Bali again."

Mr Byrne said he had only met Ormsby at a dinner on his final night in Bali.

"As far I know, no one I spent time with on the trip had drugs or would be involved in something like this," he told the Telegraph.

Azaria Byrne is a member of Sydney band the Art. According to the Telegraph, he paid three million rupiah ($310) for a three-night deal in the luxury villa.

Balinese drug laws:

* Under Indonesian law, all of the substances allegedly found on Ormsby are classed as the equivalent of New Zealand's Class A drugs and carry the stiffest penalty.

* Anyone convicted of possession faces four to 12 years' imprisonment and fines of up to $820,000.

* For more than 1kg of "raw" drugs such as marijuana or more than 5g of "processed drugs" including methamphetamine, a maximum sentence of life imprisonment can be imposed.

* Traffickers face between five and 15 years' jail and fines of more than $1 million. The death penalty may also be imposed.

 

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