New Zealand man bashed girlfriend with motorbike helmet on Bali street
Date January 12, 2015 - 8:27PM
A New Zealand man accused of bashing his ex-girlfriend with a motorbike helmet in a Bali street has agreed with a witness account of the assault.
Richard James Wackrow, 40, faces up to two years and eight months in jail for assaulting his German ex-girlfriend, known in court papers as Lisa Christina.
The pair got into an argument after falling off a motorbike at Jimbaran on September 4.
The man who lived nearest to the scene on Monday told a court he saw the fight, and Wackrow throwing his ex-girlfriend's phone on to the road.
The Wellington man slapped the designer and then hit her twice in the face with a motorcycle helmet until her face was bloody, said the man.
His nephew took her to hospital where a medical report recorded a broken nose and damage to her cheek and both eyes.
When the judge asked Wackrow - who has chosen to defend himself - if the witness statement was true, he told the court: "Yes, absolutely".
Wackrow was arrested in September at Bali's airport as he headed for Australia, where he had reportedly been living in Burleigh Heads, on Queensland's Gold Coast.
Police had alleged he had a surfboard with him that was stolen from an American woman whom Wackrow had stayed with in June.
In August, the woman complained to police that Wackrow threatened to kill and "damage her face" in a SMS. He was accused of stealing a surfboard, mobile phone, two watches and money from her Canggu villa - but the charges were dropped due to a lack of evidence.
His trial continues later this month, and Ms Christina may give evidence.
He is one of several Kiwis in trouble with the law in Southeast Asia.
Antony de Malmanche, a 52-year-old pensioner from Wanganui, was arrested in Bali in December, allegedly with 1.7kg of crystal meth in his backpack, Peter Gardner, 25, was detained in China in November and could face execution by firing squad after his luggage was allegedly found to contain meth.
His Australian girlfriend Kalynda Davis, 22, was detained at first, but released.
In Thailand, New Zealander Taylor Grainger, 41, was arrested in December with methamphetamine and cocaine in a police blitz on the tourist centre of Phuket.
AAP
