An Australian national, Ali Shahrouk, has been sentenced to six months in prison for assaulting a German tourist at a luxury hotel in Bali, following a poolside altercation that escalated into physical violence.
The incident took place in January at The Apurva Kempinski Bali, a high-end resort in Nusa Dua, where Shahrouk, 38, allegedly struck Christin Steinrode Tiller during a dispute involving their children at the hotel’s swimming pool.
On Tuesday, prosecutors in Denpasar stated that Shahrouk had been found “legally and convincingly guilty” of committing assault under Article 351(1) of Indonesia’s criminal code.
“Ali Shahrouk is proven guilty of committing assault,” said prosecutor Made Hendra Pranata Dharmaputra as he read the sentencing request at Denpasar District Court. “The panel of judges sentenced him to six months’ imprisonment, reduced by time already served in custody.”
A Dispute Over a Slide Turns Violent
The altercation reportedly began on 29 January when Tiller’s 3-year-old child was allegedly pushed off a water slide by Shahrouk’s child. A witness, Karolina Kretek, testified that she saw the incident and confronted Shahrouk’s friend, Samer Beckdache, who responded with vulgar language, according to the prosecution.
Tiller, who had been vacationing with friends and family, then approached Beckdache and allegedly pushed him into a nearby children’s pool. Beckdache retaliated by pulling Tiller’s hair, causing both to fall into the water.
At that point, Shahrouk approached the scene. Prosecutors said that Tiller scratched his face, prompting him to slap her and punch her in the face with a clenched fist.
Tiller was later treated at BIMC Hospital in Nusa Dua for injuries sustained during the incident. Her family filed a police report shortly after.
Disputed Sequence of Events
Shahrouk admitted in court that he had struck the victim but said it was an act of spontaneous self-defense. He also expressed remorse and apologized to the victim’s family, though the apology was not accepted.
However, the sequence of events has been challenged by the victim’s legal team. In a written response to local news outlet detikBali on Tuesday evening, Christin Tiller’s lawyer, R. Bayu Perdana, denied that his client attacked Shahrouk.
“Our client is disappointed by the claim that Christin scratched Ali,” Bayu said. “Based on CCTV footage and the victim’s statement, after falling into the pool, Ali immediately approached and struck her twice.”
The court did not clarify whether the CCTV footage was submitted as evidence during the trial.
Shahrouk remains in custody, with his time served to be credited toward the six-month sentence.
