Kiwi killed in a bar fight in Kuta, Bali

A New Zealand man was involved in an altercation in Bali over the weekend at a nightclub in Kuta Beach. The New Zealand Herald reports the man killed in the fight was Sean Headifen.

The news was reported yesterday in the newspapers here. The incident took place at the Bounty nightclub. The local newspapers reported that the foreigner threw beer or a beer glass at the foreigner, but the New Zealand Herald says it was the other way around, or at least that is what the man’s mother was told.

He was then attacked by six locals. They tried calling for an ambulance, but the ambulance demanded upfront payment of around 3 million rupiah, which the man’s girlfriend didn’t have at the time. They also didn’t have any travel insurance.

The man made it back to his hotel, but died overnight. The six attackers are being questioned by police.

Update: Found an article that says the poor guy was on his honeymoon.

This is what police spokesman Ketut Suwetra had to say:

“The victim was drunk. He had thrown a glass at a bartender who told him to exchange his beverage voucher at the cashier. The bartender hurled a glass back at him which hit his left temple,” he said.

“Two security officers who tried to break them up ended up kicking and hitting the victim too.”

The bar tender and bouncer have now been arrested and face 7-12 years in jail.

Update 2: I am not where the Courier Mail got their information from, but no other news article mentioned that the guy was on his honeymoon.

Here’s another article from a New Zealand newspaper.

Mr Petherick said the school’s guidance counsellor was keeping in direct contact with the Headifen family as his sister was a student at the school.

“I know him well, he came right through our school and I actually taught his mother.

“He was very bright, very able and an interesting young man.”

Mr Petherick remembered a lawnmowing business he started in Levin when he left school at the end of Year 12.

“You would see him go along the footpath with a lawnmower in front of him … because he didn’t have a car at that point.

“He was a go-getter … it’s a real pity what’s happened, knowing that medical treatment could have saved him.

“He will be well remembered at the school just because of the person he had been … he had a bright future ahead of him.”