14yo Australian arrested in Bali on drugs charges

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Fri, 07 Oct 2011 6:13p.m.

Fourteen-year-old Lewis Mason is being kept here, at Denpasar Police Station, Bali

Fourteen-year-old Lewis Mason is being kept here, at Denpasar Police Station, Bali

By Samantha Hayes

A 14-year-old Australian schoolboy has been arrested in Bali on drugs charges.

He could face up to 12 years in jail for possession of a small amount of cannabis.

He was on holiday at Kuta with his parents, and was arrested outside a supermarket.

Locked up and scared, 14-year-old Lewis Mason has been in custody at Denpasar Police Station since Tuesday night.  

His lawyer says he is "very distressed" and so traumatised, a doctor has been called in to treat him.

His parents are now with him as well.

Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd says the case is his top priority.

"We will do all that's in our power to support them and to get this young fella back home," says Mr Rudd.

Balinese authorities allege Lewis was caught carrying 6.9 grams of cannabis. There's no children's court in Indonesia, and if convicted on drug charges he could face up to 12 years behind bars in the notorious Kerobakan Prison - home to fellow Australians Schapelle Corby and the Bali 9.

"We know the authorities well, we are working very closely with them," says Mr Rudd. "Regrettably we know the authorities in Denpasar too well through matters we've had to deal with over the years."

Locals from the Mason's home town of Newcastle are sympathetic. 

"He's only a kid," one told reporters. "He can't be trialled as an adult, which is what's going to happen over there."

But that may not be the case. The fact that he's a minor could see the usually strict judicial system impose a sentence of no more than four years.

At 14, Lewis is the youngest Australian ever to be arrested in Indonesia. His case is provoking strong reaction from people who argue he's old enough to know better than to buy drugs, and from others who say he's still a child, he won't get a fair trial, and maybe he's innocent anyway.

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Comments

14 Oct 2011 11:47p.m.

jennifer wrote:

addition is terrible this boy is 14 years old how did this happen did steven his dad take drugs i am a alcoholic i dont take drugs i say sober but i still drink thats life i dont have chrildren i am to old but if i could give this boy a life a son i never had no drugs no booze dog lover i cant make god work for this boy just give him a chance his family leave a lot to be desired why does a 14 year old kid left to get a massage in seedy kuta WAS IT A MASSAGE OF WHAT KIND HE IS A 14 YEAR OLD BOY FOR GODS SAKE

14 Oct 2011 03:21p.m.

Steph wrote:

Poor kid. I dont get why on the internet they reveal his name and photo, but on tv, its not revealed. Hope they let him come home.

11 Oct 2011 07:14p.m.

key wrote:

Typical Bali corrupt trick.Someone sells you drugs, gets the money, then tells the police and probably get more money.$25 to a Balinese is a reasonable sum.I have paid the police bribes there for no bike helmet and had my wallet emptied by a cop for going through a green light,beat that.I think people like Graeme are out of touch with the real world , and are not perfect themselves.

11 Oct 2011 06:45p.m.

taxpayer wrote:

He is a drug user according to reports so why does his family make regular trips to Bali. Are the family all involved in drugs and being told to hush up by Rudd. Keep all the family in gaol over there we are better off without them we have enough problems here. Why should Aussies work hard to give our tax to support the drug crowd give it to the little Cancer children instead.

11 Oct 2011 03:18p.m.

STUPID KID wrote:

At that age you would know it is wrong & with all the publicity of that other witch CORBY surely the kid wouldve known that he would get caught and in deep for it. Message to Gillied and RUDD leave the kid there teach him a damn lesson NOT to commit illegal crimes in other countries (It is NONE of your business). Parents should also be held accountable send them to Bali Prison as well.

10 Oct 2011 03:51a.m.

Graeme wrote:

Another teenage kid who thinks he knows everything and can get away with everything without suffering the consequences of his actions...maybe this will show and teach him a valuable lesson although with the mentality of teens these days I seriously doubt it as he'll blame everyone around him BUT himself for his stupidity and maybe 4-6 years in A Bali jail is just what he needs to "wake him up"? Teens are pretty dumb in their own country of origin let alone while overseas and to do it in a place like Bali notorious for its harsh anti-drug stance and the severity of the penalties attached he's just dumber than dumb, he's a moron! Sympathy for him isn't forthcoming nor empathy as he's just another amongst thousands of teens who THINK they know better and then when they find out the HARD way they DON'T blame everyone but themselves!

09 Oct 2011 08:12p.m.

Mark wrote:

Leave him there and lock his parents up as well who can't control their child. NO EXCUSE fed up with these idiots and their drugs, all these low druggos in the world should be shot

09 Oct 2011 06:50p.m.

Wakeup wrote:

The kids 14.. when I was 14 I'm sure I did some pretty dumb things, you don't think things through and you're care free. First point is it's a small amount of a drug that should be legalized but since it's a foreign country they can set their own rules and people should abide by them. I think it will be a sad day in Australia when we let a 14 year old kid get locked up in some hell hole where the things in prison he will see/do will be a million times worse than smoking a plant.

09 Oct 2011 12:29p.m.

maryann wrote:

Matt, you are a disgusting human being. How dare you say "leave him there". Did you ever make a mistake in your life? Katrina, how stupid were you at age 14? The bottom line is this: he's 14 years old, barely more than a child and if the gutless Australian Government can't get him out of that cesspit of depravity, then what use are they? Instead of crawling to the Indonesians, maybe our Government should show some real guts and lay down the law. If that kid was British or American he would have been out of there days ago. I hope he doesn't to stay there much longer because if he does the experience will ruin his life and the lives of his whole family...over what? A bit of dope!!! Get real Bali, you hypocrites. If they really want to stop tourists from buying drugs, here's an idea: STOP PRODUCING DRUGS AND CLEAN UP ALL THE FILTHY DRUG DEALERS OFF YOUR STREETS. Any Australian with any decency or heart should boycott that stinking country. Why do we just sit back and let the incredibly corrupt Balinese (so called) "justice system" destroy the lives of young Australians. Would you like your teenage son or daughter to be marched down onto a beach or into a forest and shot down like a dog? Well, that's how they apply the death sentence in Bali. Think about it before you say "leave them there"!!

09 Oct 2011 09:53a.m.

Nicola Weaver wrote:

This is a direct result of appeasement during the Schapelle Corby case. Australia needs a wake up call. And here it is: http://www.expendable.tv Read the reports on there. See the Australian government's cables. Try the Transit Report: the letters in which they WITHHOLD CRITICAL PRIMARY EVIDENCE from Schapelle Corby, that her bag was THE ONLY BAG not scanned at Sydney! Read the lies, by their own hand. Watch them cover the shambles and criminality at Sydney airport by selling a citizen they knew to be innocent. It is a Watergate, but not one Australian newspaper is reporting it!!! It is called a whispered D-Notice. This poor lad? It is what you get when you go down that path. When you signal to a state like Indonesia that the human rights of your citizens don't matter, you end up with a kid in jail. Well done ex-PM John Howard. Are you happy? Schapelle Corby is next. She has been there for over 7 years, and is dying. The Australian government don't give a hoot, as they have nicely tranquilized their public with smears. Australia, eh? Nice.