An Australian teacher accused of stealing backpacks containing laptops has been transferred to the island’s notorious Kerobokan prison.
Vanessa Louise Crimmins, 45, is accused of stealing two backpacks outside Popular Deli, a supermarket in northern Kuta, on October 30.
The head of the Balinese prosecutor’s intelligence section, Gde Ancana, confirmed that Crimmins has been transferred from police detention to the Kerobokan women’s prison.
Photos showed an impassive Crimmins in an orange inmate T-shirt watching as officials filled out paperwork Monday afternoon.
She was then transported to Kerobokan, which previously housed members of the Bali Nine drug smuggling ring and fellow Australian Schapelle Corby.
“The police have handed over the file and all evidence relating to the case of Australian Vanessa Louise Crimmins,” Ancana said.
“When the police have completed the file, prosecutors will have to transfer her from the police detention center to prison.”
Ms Crimmins will remain in Kerobokan during her pre-trial hearings, which will be held at the Denpasar prosecutor’s office.
Vanessa Louise Crimmins (in orange) is pictured with Indonesian police and legal officials completing paperwork before being transferred from police detention to Kerobokan Prison.
The Australian teacher, 45, is accused of stealing two backpacks containing laptops outside a supermarket in northern Kuta.
“After this, we will file the indictment and hand over the case to the Denpasar District Court,” Mr Ancana said.
“We hope that the trial can begin in January.”
Crimmins will be charged with article 362 paragraph 1 of the penal code for theft.
If convicted, she could receive a sentence of up to five years in prison.
Security cameras from the morning of October 30 allegedly showed Crimmins taking two bags from the seating area of the Popular Deli supermarket.
At the time of the arrest, Crimmins was at an address in northern Kuta.
However, it is unclear whether he was living in Bali or vacationing on the island at the time.
Following their arrest, Badung police spokesperson Putu Sukarma alleged that the victims left their suitcases in the living room of the Popular Deli at 7.30am.
CCTV footage from outside the supermarket appeared to show Vanessa Crimmins picking up two backpacks.
Kerobokan prison previously held members of the Bali Nine, an Australian drug trafficking network.
When they returned 90 minutes later, both bags were supposedly missing.
“The suspect (allegedly) took two laptops from two bags that the owner left in the living room some time ago,” Sukarma said.
The HP laptop and MacBook Air were allegedly stolen from Ardi Nurcahyadi, 42, from Jakarta, and Denpasar University student Ni Nyoman Ari Purwaningsih, 24.
However, Crimmins could walk free thanks to a unique quirk of the Indonesian justice system if the alleged victims decide to forgive her.
Also known as Hotel K, Kerobokan Prison has a long and checkered history of riots and other violence involving prisoners and guards.
The prison infamously held several remaining members of the Bali Nine drug trafficking network before they were recently released.
Si Yi Chen and Matthew Norman served their sentences at Kerobokan before returning to Australia earlier this month.
Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the two ringleaders of the Bali Nine who were executed in 2015, served their sentences on Kerobokan death row.
It is also where fellow Australian Schapelle Corby served most of her nine-year jail sentence after attempting to smuggle 4.1kg of marijuana in her bodyboard bag through Denpasar airport.