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Wife ‘ordered hit’: Bali police

AAP

AAP

The wife of a slain Australian resident was at home in their Bali villa when the killer she hired slashed her husband’s throat in their kitchen, police allege.

Robert Kevin Ellis, 60, was found dead on Tuesday, his body bundled in plastic and dumped in a watery ditch by a Bali rice field.

His Indonesian wife of around 20 years, Noor Ellis, is accused of hiring her maid’s boyfriend to kill the dual Australian and British passport holder.

Police say she has confessed to the crime, blaming a slew of marital problems.

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She is in custody along with two maids, and a boyfriend of one of the maids, who goes by the alias Aril.

He was arrested on Tuesday trying to flee to the neighbouring island of Lombok.

Detective Wisnu Wardana says Mr Ellis’ wife, full name Julaikah Noor Aini, will be taken back to their Sanur villa on Wednesday to re-enact the events.

“When Aril was arrested, he admitted the murder was in the kitchen with his four friends whom we are still chasing,” he said.

“The murder happened somewhere between Sunday night and Monday, very early in the morning, and on the same morning, the body was disposed of.

“During the murder, Noor was in the villa but she says she was not involved in it, and was not in the room.”

Forensic experts who examined Mr Ellis’ body say he had three deep gashes in his neck from a weapon used with violence.

Captain Wisnu says Noor Ellis has given a range of motives: “There are lots of them, starting from money problems to women problems.”

Friends of Mr Ellis, who was known as Bob, say they are stunned.

Ross and Katherine Taylor, of Perth, say they’ve known the couple for years, and are thinking of their children at this time.

“We are coming to terms with this tragedy only very slowly,” said Mr Taylor, who is the president of the Perth-based Indonesia Institute.

Mr Taylor said Mr Ellis was a very successful businessman who had lived in Indonesia for many years and was well liked.

He had been looking at acquiring a fish processing business in Sulawesi, he said.

Two of Mr Ellis’ children who live in Australia were said to be considering travelling to Bali.

Flowers were arriving at the villa from Tuesday afternoon from friends paying their respects to his wife.

-AAP

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