Denpasar’s police chief says the partner of an Australian woman held over the alleged murder of an officer in Bali “went on a rage”, hitting the victim with a smashed beer bottle.

Hadi Purnomo said British man David Taylor and his girlfriend Sara Connor, a 45-year-old mother of two from Byron Bay, “deflected and lied” in original interviews with police.

The pair have been detained for allegedly murdering local policeman Wayan Sudarsa, who was found with 42 wounds to his body, including his head and neck, on Kuta Beach.

After 12 hours of questioning, Taylor changed his story and admitted he had confronted the policeman over Connor’s missing bag.

He confessed to bashing the officer with a beer bottle, the victim’s binoculars and an old mobile phone, but denied killing him.

Senior Commission Purnomo questioned why Taylor he did not tell the truth from the start, and alleged the 33-year-old attacked the officer during a “rage”.

“After he hit him like that then David went on a rage and hit him again with a smashed bottle and caused injuries to his head,” Senior Commission Purnomo said.

Lawyers for the Australian have said she had nothing to do with the murder.

But the police chief alleged Taylor and Connor searched the victim’s body while he lay unconscious.

“Sara was involved here, she searched him as well,” Senior Commission Purnomo said.

He said Taylor had admitted to taking the policeman’s wallet and phone, and said the couple then cut up the officer’s ID and burned it with the clothes they were wearing on the morning of death.

“Both David and Sara did,” the police chief alleged.

Senior Commission Purnomo said along with murder and assault causing death, Connor was now also facing a charge of being an accomplice to murder.

Police found Connor’s drivers licence and credit card at the scene. Photo: ABC

Taylor admits hitting policeman with bottle: lawyer

Senior Commission Purnomo’s comments came after Taylor’s lawyer said his client had confessed to punching the officer.

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.

David Taylor is a DJ, called DJ Nutzo. Photo: Facebook: DJ Nutzo

“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’.”

Mr Sihombing said Taylor also bashed the victim in the head with a pair of binoculars that were hanging around his neck.

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

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

She said she had no idea the police officer was dead and her boyfriend had told her he was just unconscious.

“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.”

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.

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

-ABC