An Australian tourist who seriously injured a man during an alleged naked rampage in Indonesia is looking forward to “getting back to his normal life” after his release from an Indonesian jail, his family says.
Bodhi Mani Risby-Jones, 23, will soon be on his way home, having been in custody in the religiously conservative province of Aceh since late April.
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He was accused of chasing and attacking people in the streets of the island of Simeulue, including a fisherman who needed stitches in his leg.
Risby-Jones, from Noosa, walked free from custody on Tuesday and is expected to return to Australia in days.
“We are incredibly grateful and relieved that Bodhi will soon be coming home to Australia and we thank everyone involved from the bottom of our hearts,” his family said in a statement.
“We are especially grateful to our family members who travelled to Simeulue Island to support Bodhi and to work with officials to reach a resolution.
“We also are very appreciative of the efforts of Bodhi’s lawyer Pak Idris.”
The statement references the victims of Risby-Jones’ alleged behaviour and has ruled out the prospect of him speaking to the media in the immediate future.
“It has been an incredibly stressful time for all parties concerned – from the locals impacted on Simeulue Island, our family and friends all over the world, and, of course, Bodhi,” the statement said.
“Bodhi is looking forward to putting this chapter behind him and will not be doing any media interviews at this time.
“His focus will be on getting back to his normal life, spending time with his family, friends, and dogs.
“We respectfully request time and space for our family to reconnect with Bodhi. We appreciate so much the support, understanding and compassion that have been extended to Bodhi and our entire family.”
Risby-Jones fronted a news conference in Aceh following his release.
“I’m very very relieved and happy,” he said.
“I made a fool of myself and it was shown publicly worldwide.”
The surfing enthusiast had faced up to five years in jail and a lashing but reached a reported settlement of 250 million rupiah ($A25,000) with his victim, Edi Ron, on May 26.