Father of Bali Nine suspect feared son's intent

The father of Bali Nine alleged mule Scott Rush has told an Indonesian court of his desperate efforts to get Australian police to stop his son's trip to Bali amid fears he was in trouble.

Testifying in Denpasar District Court yesterday where his youngest son is on trial for his life on heroin trafficking charges, Lee Rush told how a "father's instinct" led him to seek Australian Federal Police help.

An AFP officer assured the Rushes he would prevent Scott from getting on his first overseas flight on April 8 last year.

However, the next time the Rushes saw their son he was looking "pale and quite worried" inside a Bali police cell.

Scott Rush and three other alleged mules caught at Bali airport with heroin strapped to their bodies have taken legal action against the AFP, claiming it illegally helped Indonesian police in an investigation that could result in the death penalty.

All nine face a maximum penalty of death by firing squad if convicted of conspiring to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin to Australia.

Scott Rush, 19, told the court that after he met the alleged leaders of the nine, Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, packages of heroin were strapped to his body. He claimed Chan had said he had a gun as he threatened them not to try to abort the mission.

Blaming a translator's error, Rush denied he had told police he would be paid A$5000 ($5400) if he got the packages back to Australia.

- AAP