Nigerian Man Jailed For Attempting To Rape Australian Woman In Bali

A Nigerian man identified as Idongesit Joseph Zion has been sentenced to one-year imprisonment by Chief Judge Ida Bagus Bamadewa Patiputra at the Denpasar District Court over an attempted rape.

 

Daily Mail reports that Idongesit attempted to rape an Aussie tourist known as KTR last December after a night out at a popular beachside nightclub in Bali.

 

“The defendant is declared legally and convincingly guilty of the crime of attempted rape. The defendant is sentenced to one year in prison,” presiding judge Ida Bagus Bamadewa Patiputra said.

 

“The aggravating factors include clear harm to the victim and the violation of decency values. The victim suffered losses and felt violated as a woman,” prosecutor Ni Made Desi Pratiwi added.

 

According to the report, the incident occurred when the pair met at Finn Club on Berawa Beach Street in Canggu in Bali on December 2, 2022.

 

As the woman was leaving, the man offered to order a motorcycle taxi to take her back to her hotel, but instead, it took her to his home on Teuku Umar Street, where the attempted rape unfolded.

 

It was learnt that the Australian woman was able to escape and report the crime to authorities.

 

According to the Australian Government’s Smartraveller website, “a range of crimes, including violent crime, occur in Indonesia”, and “crimes can happen in popular tourist locations in Bali”.

 

It urges Australian travellers to “be aware of your surroundings, be alert in crowds and understand the potential crime risks”.

 

 

However, the court heard Zion lured her to his accommodation after falsely claiming he was booking her a motorcycle taxi back to her hotel.

 

Zion, who was with his friend, started interacting with KTR, who was with her sister, before the Australian lost interest and attempted to leave.

 

He then incessantly attempted to keep in contact with the Australian, offering to purchase her a taxi back to her hotel.

 

The court heard although his initial proposal was refused by KTR, Zion would order an online motorcycle taxi for her.

 

Believing she was returning to her own hotel, KTR accepted the gesture only to be taken to Zion’s accommodation where he would attempt to rape her.

 

Thanks to the help of her sister and Zion’s friend, KTR was able to escape and alert the police.

 

The Denpasar District Court heard the Aussie had rejected the man’s advances at Finns Beach Club before being conned onto a motorcycle taxi travelling with him.

 

Judge Ida Bagus Bamadewa Patiputra said Zion had caused ‘clear harm to the victim’ while also breaching decency values of the island.

 

‘The victim suffered losses and felt violated as a woman,’ Ida Bagus Bamadewa Patiputra said.

 

‘The defendant, Idongesit Joseph Zion, is declared legally and convincingly guilty of the crime of attempted rape. The defendant is sentenced to one year in prison.’

 

The court took mitigating factors into consideration during Zion’s sentencing, in particular, both parties apologising to each other during the course of the trial.