UK Government ‘categorically denies’ telling Bonnie Blue to ‘bribe’ Bali cops after arrest
EXCLUSIVE: The world’s most infamous adult performer, Bonnie Blue, is now in a row with the British Government after David Lammy’s Foreign Office denied advising her to ‘bribe’ Bali cops
Bonnie is in a spat with the Government(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
In a spat no one saw coming, the British Government has “categorically denied” advising Bonnie Blue to “bribe” officials after she was arrested in Bali. The world’s most infamous adult performer told the Daily Star she was visited by a British Embassy official while she was detained in Indonesia – where porn is strictly forbidden – last December.
The 26-year-old, from Stapleford, Nottinghamshire, believed she was about to be rescued when she heard the official’s “British voice” in the middle of a 30-hour interrogation. However, instead of being escorted out of the “disgusting” police station, Bonnie claimed she was advised to “offer them money”.
Bonnie told the Daily Star her team paid the Bali officials a sum worth “a lot more” than £5,000. She also claimed adult content on a hard drive the police had not yet discovered would have meant a 15-year sentence in a hellhole prison.
The authorities found her guilty of a minor traffic offence, fined her £9 before deporting her for an immigration violation. The Foreign Office, Commonwealth and Development Office – which has remit over British embassies and consulates – confirmed they met with Bonnie but used strong terms to deny the “bribe” claim.
A spokesperson said: “We provided support to a British woman who was detained in Bali and was in contact with the local authorities. We categorically deny that any advice of the kind alleged was – or would ever be – provided by British officials.”
Bonnie, real name Tia Billinger, had a different account of what happened. “The British Embassy came to visit us and gave me a toothbrush and some toilet wipes. They said, ‘unfortunately there is not much we can do for you here. The country is very corrupt. The best thing to do is offer them money.’
“They (the official) did ask could we go to a separate room so they could communicate that to us but they (the police) didn’t offer us a private room. They (the official) told us they had no problem telling us here and did so in front of the police.”
She added: “We were so excited to hear a British voice. You feel a bit safe… We thought they were going to come and take us out… But they just said, ‘if you have got money, offer them money’.”
“The cyber team offered them a decent amount.” She affirmed to the Daily Star that the sum was worth “a lot more” than £5,000.
“Let’s just say I wouldn’t want my hard drive getting searched through. [If they saw] the content that I posted on the plane, I probably would have been doing 15 years in prison.”
She added: “It was good and bad that they were corrupt because it meant I was able to get off.”
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