Danish Lars Christensen who earlier this year was sentenced to prison in Bali convicted of kicking a sacred temple after an altercation with his ex-girlfriend has been released and deported from the Indonesian Island, media Indonesia Expat reports.
The case started two years ago when Lars Christensen reportedly argued with his ex-girlfriend. During the argument, he kicked a sacred temple at an address in the Kalibukbuk region in the northern part of Bali while his girlfriend filmed the incident. His act reportedly went viral and angered the people of Bali.
After a long period of investigation, he was arrested and charged with blasphemy and vandalism in May 2021 and now after serving 7 months he was released on 26 November and immediately deported.
According to media reports, Lars Christensen behaved well during his detention in prison and the coaching process provided was the same as for other inmates. Following his release from prison, he was temporarily detained at the Immigration Detention Centre of the Singaraja Immigration Office while waiting for the deportation process.
During his trial, Lars Christensen explained that he was not aware that he was doing anything wrong by kicking the temple and that he did not know that the shrine is a sacred place, a symbol of Hinduism. He said he thought it was an old and dilapidated temple, but at the same time, he regretted his action.
