Australian man wanted in Perth on drug charges faces Bali court over 'fake' visa
An Australian man wanted in Perth on drug charges has faced a Bali court after he allegedly claimed to be two different men in fake travel documents.
Shaun Edward Davidson, 30, was quiet and wore a white collared shirt when he arrived in Denpasar District Court on Monday, more than two months after he was arrested by immigration officials and taken into custody.
Prosecutor Ika Lusiana said officers first spoke to Mr Davidson in February 29 while he was staying at Rabasta Beach Resort in Kuta.
The WA man allegedly claimed he was “Michael John Bayman” and presented a passport that showed a man who looked different to Mr Davidson.
When immigration officials returned to his hotel the following day, they found that his visa - known as a KITAS - showed his photograph but was under the name “Eddie Lonsdale”.
The following month immigration officials allegedly discovered the serial number on the KITAS matched that of a man named “Franklin Steven”.
Ms Lusiana told the court that upon being questioned Mr Davidson had conceded the passport was not his, adding that he had found it in a hotel six months before.
He also allegedly confessed to paying a local forger 1.5 million rupiah ($A150) to create the false visa.
Mr Davidson, who has been charged with using a fake or forged visa and using someone else’s immigration documents, could face up to seven years if convicted.
Mr Davidson is believed to have travelled to Indonesia on January 28, 2015 - the same day he was due to appear at the Perth Magistrates Court on a number of drug offences, including possessing a prohibited drug with the intention to sell or supply.
An arrest warrant was issued by Western Australian Police on the same day.
He is currently being held in Bali’s notorious Kerobokan Prison.
His matter will return to court next month.
