A Perth man has revealed the truth behind his injuries after it was claimed he was “bashed” in Bali and he raked in donations. Photo / news.com.au
A Perth man has revealed the truth behind his injuries after it was claimed he was “bashed” in Bali and he raked in donations. Photo / news.com.au
A Perth man has had to issue a grovelling apology after he had more than $24,000 (NZ$26k) donated towards his medical bills by people who believed he was severely injured after being “mugged” in Bali.
Earlier this month, Lachie Hunt was hospitalised with severe injuries while on holiday in the tourist hotspot of Kuta.
The 22-year-old had to spend six days in Kuta’s BIMC Hospital after suffering a broken leg, brain bleed and suspected fractured spine.
Visser noted the Perth man “couldn’t remember much” and that his mum had flown over to Bali to be with him.
He claimed the care Hunt was receiving was “so bloody expensive” and asked people to “dig deep” in order to help out with his medical bills.
Since the GoFundMe was created on January 12, more than $24,000 has been donated.
But now, Bali police have revealed that Hunt wasn’t mugged at all, in fact, his injuries are the result of falling off a motorbike after a night out drinking.
Local authorities have now released a video – first shared by Asian media outlet Coconuts – showing Hunt reading a pre-prepared script in which he blames the Australian media for “twisting” the story, despite the claims being spelled out on the GoFundMe page set up by his friend.
“I had an incident in Bali due to falling from a motorcycle. I had lost my memory for two days due to concussion, I was in hospital for six days due to the injuries that I suffered from,” Hunt said in the video while donning a neck brace.
He claims he was approached by “many Australian media outlets” who asked him to make a statement, but he declined.
“Bali is my second home and I did not want to put a bad name on Bali,” he said.
“The Australian media articles that went viral were all incorrect and twisted. This happened due to me not making any statements to the Australian media.
“The reason the GoFundMe was made, was for friends and family to help pay the hospital bill.”
The 22-year-old said he “in no way” had any intention for his story to go viral and “be taken over by the Australian media”.
Bali police head of public relations, Stefanus Satake Bayu, told Coconuts that eyewitness testimonies revealed Hunt was severely inebriated while driving a motorbike in Kuta about 4am.
He allegedly fell after losing control of the bike when going over a speed bump, losing consciousness for 30 minutes before waking up and walking away with his face covered in blood.
Bayu told the publication that when Hunt was questioned by police, he confirmed he had been out drinking with his friends and when driving home at 3.30pm his phone fell onto the road.
He reportedly claimed that when he stopped to retrieve it he felt somebody push him from behind, resulting in a nasty fall and subsequent injuries.
The publication claimed no charges have been brought against the Australian.
At the time of publishing this article, the GoFundMe page for Hunt is still live, with the same description claiming the young man was “mugged and bashed”.
The option is still there to donate, with the last donation being only made a day ago.
The page even shows an update was posted yesterday by his mother, Melissa Hunt, in which she thanks everyone for their “support through this chaotic journey”.
“All of your generous donations have been a big help. Mel, Lachie & family. Xx” the update said.
