Indonesian celebrity Tamara Bleszynski’s testimony in Denpasar court on Tuesday about her alleged attacker painted a picture of an unhinged man that is dangerously obsessed with her.
It was the first time the 41-year-old actress testified in the trial against Wayan Putra Wijaya, alias Wayan Sobrat, 39.
Bleszynski reported Sobrat to police in Canggu back in April for assaulting her and grabbing her by the hair. She posted a picture on social media of herself filing the report with police, saying she no longer felt safe in Bali.
At first, the story sounded like it might be another case of sexual assault that’s unfortunately become increasingly common in the area, but it has since become apparent that there is much more to the story and that this wasn’t the first time she had encountered Sobrat.
Bleszynski said in court that she briefly became acquainted with Sobrat at a crowded event through a friend in 2014, who introduced the man as a “huge fan”.
The actress also reportedly said that following the introduction, she’s received multiple threats from Sobrat and that the man has even threatened her child, her ex-husband Mike Lewis, and any “bule” friends close to her.
But it gets crazier — Bleszynski says that Sobrat claims that he was her husband 100 years ago and that he told her that he wanted her to have his child.
The actress said she even reported Sobrat to the banjar (traditional neighborhood authority) in the Echo Beach area where she had been living. Sobrat then agreed in writing to leave her alone, but apparently didn’t stick to his words.
Things flared up on April 14, 2016 during the alleged incident in Canggu, when Sobrat was riding a motorbike and blocked Bleszynski as she was on her way from Canggu to Kerobokan.
Bleszynski told the court that she moved from Bali to Jakarta because she feared for her safety following the alleged attack.
The court also heard witness testimony from Bleszynski’s friend, Adrian Theodore King, who was present during the time of the incident in question and had been driving Bleszynski on a motorbike.
In his testimony, King reiterated Bleszynki’s allegations, that Sobrat had attacked the actress, grabbing her by the hair.
During Sobrat’s own time on the stand, however, he reportedly denied most of what Bleszynski had to say and claimed he never grabbed her hair. He instead claimed that he grabbed King by the hair and claims that King insulted his nationalism.
Sobrat’s defense attorney apparently took issue with Bleszynski’s version of the events, telling the court that the actress was just putting on an act.
The trial is set to resume next Tuesday.
Editor’s Note: Dates in this article have been edited for accuracy.
