A Bali bar owner who bludgeoned an Australian tourist to death with a stool says he acted in self-defense.
Troy Scott Johnston, 40, was killed during an argument with Gede Wijaya, 20, at Uncle Benz Cafe in south Kuta just before 4am on Thursday.
Johnston, who worked for mining giant Rio Tinto at Perth airport, is alleged to have urinated on Wijaya before the altercation escalated and Wijaya hit him over the head with a bar stool.
Wijaya was arrested and charged with murder, but claimed in a police interview that he acted in self-defense after Johnston attacked him with the same wooden stool.
The cocktail expert had only known Mr. Johnston two days before the fight, but they were already friends enough to buy each other drinks.
Troy Scott Johnston, 40, was killed with an entire wooden bar stool while on vacation with his wife Ni Nyoman Purnianti (pictured together) and their young son.
Gede Wijaya, 20, (pictured) bludgeoned Mr Johnston to death at Uncle Benz Cafe in south Kuta, but claims it was in self-defence.
Wijaya, a father of one, lost his father just weeks before and his mother last April.
“Forgive your arrogant son, mother… the best and most peaceful place for you by his side… Light the way for your children and grandchildren,” he wrote online after his mother’s death.
Johnston was on vacation in Bali with his Indonesian wife Ni Nyoman Purnianti and their young son when he went out drinking around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Wijaya told a police news conference that the couple spent the night buying each other glasses of Arak, a cloudy white Lebanese liquor.
‘He pays. He treats me. But then, I also treat it,’ he told the police.
However, he claimed that Johnston drank too much and began throwing bottles and glasses into the street.
Wijaya said he tried to calm the Australian down, but he hit him in the waist and urinated on his leg, then tripped and collapsed.
‘He urinated on my left leg… I tried to tell him to cut it off. But he came in and threw glass cups at me,” she said.
‘He was drunk and he lost control… I tried to calm him down.’
The bar stool used to kill Mr. Johnston with a single blow to the head. Wijaya claimed the Australian tried to throw it at him and he caught it and hit it in self-defense.
Wijaya, a father of one, lost his father just weeks earlier and his mother (pictured) last April
Wijaya left Mr Johnston lying outside but claimed he was soon up and running towards the bar, picking up the stool and trying to throw it at him.
He said he grabbed the stool and hit Mr. Johnson over the head in self-defense and did not mean to kill him.
“I am very sorry and I did not intend to do that because I know him very well, so it is impossible that I intend to hurt him or anything else,” he said.
However, police alleged that Wijaya became enraged by Johnson’s conduct and attacked him with his stool out of anger, not self-defense.
“The perpetrator’s motive for attacking or killing the victim was because the perpetrator was feeling emotional,” police said.
“As the perpetrator (was) emotional, he hit the victim’s head with a chair. The victim fell in front of Uncle Benz.
‘Wijaya was attacked and beaten, they both wrestled on the ground, Scott quickly got up and grabbed a chair and threw it at Wijaya.
The victim apparently chased after him and tried to throw a wooden stool at the perpetrator.
‘When the preparer saw him trying to throw the stool, the preparer tried to grab it…the perpetrator spontaneously struck the victim on the head with the stool. He hit him once.
Police alleged that after hitting Mr. Johnston with the stool, he simply left him lying in a pool of blood and went home behind the bar.
Wijaya, who faces 15 years in jail, was mocked on Instagram by other Indonesians who blamed him for Johnson’s death.
‘Enjoy the pleasure of the iron bars, man,’ wrote one.
Another added: ‘It’s scary, isn’t it? Drunk here could end in death.
Wijaya has since been arrested and charged with murder following Thursday’s altercation.
Uncle Benz Cafe was closed while police inspected the crime scene in the days after Mr. Johnston’s death.
Mr. Johnson’s wife became concerned that he did not return to their accommodation at 3 am and decided to look for her husband with the help of her brother.
The couple found Johnston unconscious and lying in a pool of his own blood at the cafe owned by Wijaya before 4 a.m. Thursday.
Mr. Johnston was rushed to hospital with serious head injuries and pronounced dead on arrival.
His heartbroken wife and co-workers paid tribute to the father and the airport controller on social media.
Mr Johnston’s wife recalled the moment she found her husband unconscious and lying in a pool of his own blood.
“I find him already on the ground with a lot of blood,” he told Seven News.
She told police that her husband left around 7:30 p.m. and that she and her brother had gone looking for him when he did not return at 3:45 a.m.
“At 10:30 p.m. Purnianti contacted Scott and he responded that he was still drinking,” police said.
Purnianti and his brother were shocked after discovering that Johnston was lying in a pool of blood on the terrace of the Uncle Benz cafe.
Mr. Johnston was employed by Rio Tinto at its Perth airport hub as an airport controller.
Mr Johnston’s wife recalled the moment she found her husband unconscious and lying in a pool of his own blood.
News of his death reached his co-workers on Friday.
“We are devastated by the news that one of the most loved and valued members of our team has tragically passed away abroad,” Rio Tinto said.
A spokesman for his employer, mining giant Rio Tinto, said the company was providing support to family members and loved ones.
“We are devastated by the news that one of the most beloved and valued members of our team has tragically passed away overseas.
“Troy’s colleagues are deeply saddened and we are providing them with access to a variety of support services.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Troy’s family and friends.”
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been contacted for comment.
