DENPASAR (Indonesia) • A Briton jailed for beating an Indonesian policeman to death in Bali with his then girlfriend, an Australian, was released after more than four years in prison, the authorities said.

David Taylor left Bali's Kerobokan prison dressed in a black T-shirt and with dark glasses and a mask yesterday.

He did not speak to reporters before getting into a waiting car, but the head of the prison Fikri Jaya Soebing confirmed his release.

Taylor is expected to be deported back to Britain after leaving the prison on the Indonesian holiday island, an official told Agence France-Presse on Wednesday.

The British national and his former girlfriend Sara Connor, who was released from prison last year, were convicted in 2017 of fatally assaulting officer Wayan Sudarsa, whose battered body was found in the popular tourist area of Kuta the previous year.

Taylor got a six-year prison term, while Connor received five years. Both received reductions in their original sentences, which is common for prisoners in Indonesia.

Taylor, a former DJ whose stage name was DJ Nutzo, had admitted getting into a fight with Mr Sudarsa on the beach after accusing the officer of stealing Connor's handbag. He hit the policeman with items including binoculars and a beer bottle. At the trial, Taylor claimed that he had feared for his life and acted in self-defence.

Connor, a mother of two, maintained her innocence, insisting that she intervened only to try to break up the fight.

This claim was rejected by a Bali court, which said she held down the victim as Taylor beat him.

The pair fled the scene, but Connor's driving licence and ATM card were found next to the the policeman's body.

After police launched a massive manhunt for the couple, they took refuge in the Australian consulate in Bali, but later handed themselves over to the local authorities.

At the trial, prosecutors said the pair, who were tried separately, should not be convicted of murder because they did not intend to kill the officer.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE