UPDATE: A British man accused of the murder of a police officer in Bali has confessed to hitting the man with a beer bottle and an old mobile phone, his lawyer says.

After almost 12 hours of interrogation, David James Taylor dramatically changed his story and told police he had struggled with the officer and admitted to punching him, although his lawyers said he could not remember how many times.

Taylor and his Australian girlfriend Sara Connor, a 45-year-old mother of two from Byron Bay, have been detained for allegedly murdering local policeman Wayan Sudarsa.

He was found with 42 wounds to his body, including his head and neck, on Kuta Beach.

Taylor’s lawyers said he had asked the policeman where Connor’s missing bag was, and after he had tried to check the man’s pocket, they had begun to “wrestle”.

“When he is struggling with this man apparently he found this bottle and then he is trying to hit this man with this bottle,” Taylor’s lawyer Erick Sihombing said.

“He found an old cell phone, he hit the guy’s head on the back maybe twice. There is a bottle and an old phone.

“After the fight was done, he went out on the street, he found his girlfriend on the street and then he’s just said to his girlfriend the bag has already gone so let’s go back to the hotel.”

David Taylor’s lawyer said Connor has described him as a “bad cop”. Photo: AAP

Taylor also confessed that he and Connor burned their clothes.

“On Friday the 19th of August, they found on their clothes and trousers a stain of blood and hair, that’s why they tried to get rid of them by burning their clothes,” Mr Sihombing said.

The Australian woman has told police when she had tried to separate the men while they were fighting, the police officer bit her on her thigh and hand.

“According to the result of the investigation today, Sara said that she was not involved in this murder, she was not involved at all with this murder,” her lawyer Erwin Siregar said.

“Sara tried to separate David and the victim, but she could not do it and then because of that the victim bit the right hand of Sara and also the leg on the left side.”

Suspects’ wounds examined

Earlier, Denpasar Police Chief Hadi Purnomo said police performed forensic examinations on wounds suffered by Connor and Taylor to determine “whether the wounds are new or old”.

He also told the ABC blood from the site of the police officer’s death had been examined.

Sara Connor is accused of murdering a Balinese policeman. Photo: Supplied

“From the forensic lab result, we found two types of blood on the crime scene: the suspect’s and the victim’s,” he said, without specifying whether he was referring to Connor or Taylor.

Mr Purnomo said broken glass from a bottle and a surfboard had been found at the crime scene and was being analysed by a forensics team.

Taylor’s lawyer Haposan Sihombing said his client told police Mr Sudarsa had held Connor down in the sand and that she had screamed, attracting passersby who came to her aid.

He also said she had described him as a “bad cop”.

But police said she denied that version of events.

“She promised that she will admit today [Monday] that what she said yesterday was false information, he only carried out his duty,” Police Chief Purnomo said.

Mr Siregar said Connor had arrived in Bali last Tuesday and Taylor met her at the airport, where they bought beer before returning to the man’s home-stay.

Police officer Wayan Sudarsa was found with 42 wounds to his body. Photo: Supplied

“Then they are going to the restaurant, she drank a beer, and then they are going to the beach with two beer bottles, one each,” he said.

Mr Siregar said the man and woman had been kissing on the beach after arriving at 11:00pm and leaving about 3:00am.

Police Chief Purnomo said the policeman was “not peeking, he was watching the situation, he only carried out his duty. Why would he wear his uniform if he was peeking?”

In a statement released by the Connor family over the weekend they said their thoughts and love are with their daughter, adding the Byron Bay community was “heartbroken” over reports she had been named a suspect.

“Our thoughts, hearts and love go out to Sara as she deals with this thoroughly tragic incident.”

The statement said the community “to whom she has given so much” is offering all it can in return.

“Our hearts go out to Sara and her family and we will do all we can to help her through this very difficult time.”

It is understood Connor and Taylor first met in Byron Bay, where Connor runs a pasta-making business and Taylor hosted a weekly radio show.

The son of the deceased police officer described his father as loving and friendly.

“When he was around we were so happy at home. He was a good leader for the family… it was his duty as a policeman, a duty given by the state, I must accept being left behind by my dad,” Putu Yudi Chrismayuda said.

Police have up to 100 days to build their case against Connor and Taylor, who face a maximum of 15 years in jail.

Meanwhile, Connor’s ex-husband and father of her two children – Anthony ‘Twig’ Connor – said he will speak to the media on behalf of her family at a press conference in Sydney on Wednesday morning.

-ABC