A high-profile ‘fixer’ who worked to help free Schapelle Corby from jail has been spotted visiting an Australian father-of-two detained in Bali on drug trafficking charges.
Troy Smith, charged with possession of methamphetamine on the Indonesian island, allegedly tried to flee from police but was arrested after warning shots were fired.
Smith’s family has hired “prison whisperer” John McLeod, who runs consulting firm Tora Solutions, which helps Australians with legal problems overseas.
On Thursday, Smith, 49, arrived at Denpasar District Court in a prison van, exiting from the back and then trying to hide his face from waiting local media.
McLeod arrived shortly after and was seen speaking to Smith from a yard through the prison’s steel bars.
“Do you love me, Troy?” Mr McLeod shouted through the bars, after which Smith, dressed in a white business shirt and tan trousers, approached him.
Wearing a red prison vest over his white business shirt, Smith later learned he will likely avoid prison time and instead serve his sentence in a halfway house.
Smith, a father-of-two from Port Lincoln in South Australia, was allegedly caught with 3.19g of methamphetamine inside a Colgate toothpaste container at the Champlung Mas hotel in Legian on April 30.
He and his new wife, Tracy Ijusa, were vacationing on the island when Indonesian police raided their resort room.
Troy Smith’s family (pictured left) have hired ‘prison whisperer’ John McLeod (right)
At the time of his arrest, Troy Smith was enjoying a long honeymoon in Bali with his Nigerian-born wife Tracy Ijusa. They had only been married for four months.
Smith is pictured listening to a member of his legal team in Bali court on Thursday.
Troy Smith (in white shirt) is pictured getting out of a prison van in Bali on Thursday.
McLeod, a former police officer, helped break Corby out of Bali’s notorious Kerobokan prison, which is where Smith could spend a lot of time if convicted.
The hiring of the repairman is a significant escalation in Smith’s defense strategy.
In 2016, he came to the aid of former soldier Adam Whittington, a child recovery “expert” who spent four months in a Beirut jail after a controversial 60 Minutes child “rescue” operation went wrong.
In January 2022, McLeod helped Jeffrey Welton, a Perth surf instructor, avoid the firing squad after convincing judges to treat him as an addict, rather than a drug dealer.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Smith, McLeod said: “We just hope we get a fair shot, and I think we will.”
‘We present a very strong case. So it is a judicial system. So we have to follow the process and see what happens.”
He also revealed that Smith thanked him for coming and told him, “I’m glad you’re here.”
Later in court, the prosecutor requested that Smith be sentenced to eight months of rehabilitation at Anargya Dober House.
He originally faced up to 12 years behind bars.
Speaking to reporters after meeting Troy Smith, John McLeod (pictured) said: “We just hope we get a fair chance, and I think we will.”
Australian Troy Smith is pictured in court in Bali, Indonesia, on Thursday. John McLeod is pictured on the left.
Smith (pictured) told the court he regretted his actions when he spoke about his drug use. “I respect Bali, I respect Indonesia, I’m sorry,” he said.
“We have come to the conclusion that the accused has been proven guilty of violating Article 127 of the narcotics law and must be punished,” the prosecutor told the court.
The court took into account several mitigating factors, including that Smith admitted what he had done, that he behaved politely during the trial, that he had never before been convicted of a crime and that he is the backbone of his family.
An emotional Smith told the court he was sorry for the allegations and “loved Bali”.
The court is expected to issue a final verdict next week.
Smith’s wife, Tracy, did not show up for Thursday’s court hearing, just days before the couple’s six-month wedding anniversary.
Speaking outside court, McLeod said “justice” had been shown to Smith. “I think it’s a fair result.”
McLeod said he hoped Smith could now “move on with his life, put this bad episode behind him and be able to continue his rehabilitation and become a better person.”
Australian father-of-two Troy Smith is pictured next to a prison van in Bali on Thursday.
John McLeod (top right) helped break Schapelle Corby (centre) out of Bali’s notorious Kerobokan prison.
Troy Smith was wearing a red prison vest over a white work shirt when he arrived in court Thursday.