Catcalls and whistles greet Australian model at Bali court

DENPASAR, Bali - The Indonesian media mobbed and taunted Michelle Leslie with catcalls and whistles yesterday moments before the Australian model faced a Bali court for the first time charged with ecstasy possession.

Photographers and TV crews surged in front of the bars of a concrete cell where she was being held before the hearing.

When the 24-year-old turned her back on their cameras, some called out "Leslie, Leslie" and "I love you baby" as police and court guards stood by.

Leslie, who once modelled for Antz Pantz the underwear line and is now a Muslin convert, had arrived at the Denpasar District Court to chaotic scenes.

Wearing a white Islamic "kerudung" scarf, she stepped out of a green police van handcuffed to Renae Lawrence, the lone female among the Bali Nine who was also facing court yesterday.

Flanked by two burly Australian protectors and with Lawrence helping clear the way, she was bustled through a media crush and taken to the holding cell.

After a short wait she was rushed into court through a second scrum.

Inside she heard prosecutor Risman Tarihoran read out a brief two-page indictment carrying two layers of charges, the most serious of which would mean a 15-year jail term under tough psychotropics drug laws.

Tarihoran recounted Leslie's arrival at the "Vertigo Goes To Bali" rave party near Kuta on August 19, where police allegedly found two pink tablets of ecstasy in her handbag, wrapped in white tissue.

Her counsel Christo Imanuel Dugis said he would not contest the charges, preferring instead to fight them in court.

Leslie said little during the 16-minute hearing apart from answering questions about her name and age and saying she was a Muslim.

Two of her minders sitting protectively nearby were ordered out by police.

Her Australian lawyer Ross Hill said the crush outside the court had taken its toll and Leslie should not have been handcuffed.

"I'm not particularly happy about her being handcuffed at all, because she's really no flight risk," he said.

"I'm sure she is a little bit shellshocked about the whole situation, about the hustle and bustle, but she is strong and she will get over it fairly quickly."

Hill said her legal team had discussed using lighter thumb cuffs with jail authorities, but failed to convince them to use them in preference.

"They're in charge, and they'll do what they want to do," Hill said.

"(It's) certainly not a good look, but not a good thing for Michelle. She is not used to being cuffed and dragged around the place."

Later, waiting for Lawrence's court appearance to end, Leslie complained about the heat and humidity in her cell.

"It's so hot in here," she said to a family friend, asking them to fetch water.

Chief prosecutor Tarihoran said he would call seven witnesses starting next Tuesday, including police and a Victorian doctor who will say Leslie was being treated for attention deficit disorder with a drug named Ritalin.

As with ecstasy, Ritalin contains amphetamines and could account for positive blood tests taken from Leslie after her arrest.

"We cannot buy that excuse just like that," Tarihoran said. "We have to check the facts."

Lawyers hope to convince judges to sentence Leslie using a lesser charge, under article 60 of the "psikotropika" drug laws, carrying only a three-month jail term for drug users.

"I would certainly hope she'll be home by Christmas, but again it's a matter for their Honours," Hill said.

- AAP