An Australian man alleged to have gone on a nude rampage in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh has outraged authorities in the hard-line Islamic province.
Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones, 23, says he was “possessed” and not himself at the time.
He faces up to five years jail if convicted over the incident on Thursday on the island of Simeulue, off the coast of Sumatra.
The Noosa man allegedly emerged naked from his hotel room at the Lantik Moonbeach Resort and chased and struck people in the street, including a fisherman who needed stitches in his leg, Simeulue police chief Jatmiko said, according to Indonesian media.
Appearing under police guard before local media, Risby-Jones said he felt like he was not himself and was “possessed” during the incident.
“It was not a good feeling. It was not myself. I’m normally a nice guy,” he said.
Alcohol sales and consumption are banned in Aceh, which operates under a Sharia-based legal system.
Risby-Jones faces a charge of maltreatment, according to media reports, which carries a maximum sentence of five years’ jail.
-with AAP
