Aussie Fugitive Demands $3.5 Million in Bitcoin for Media Interview after Bali Prison Escape
Australian prison-breaker Shaun Davidson, on the run from authorities after breaking out of a Bali prison, is demanding to be paid $3.5 million in bitcoin for a media phone interview.
Shaun Davidson is now seen as Australia’s most notorious prison escapee after burrowing a 15-meter tunnel under the walls of Bali’s overcrowded Kerobokan prison on June 19 this year, with three other prisoners. Davidson was originally jailed for a year behind bars in Indonesia for using another man’s passport with charges related to immigration offences.
Only 10 weeks away from completing his sentence, Davidson staged an astonishing escape after digging through a waste tunnel – nearly 15 meters long and just a half a meter wide – with three other foreigners from the prison. Davidson continues to be on the run and, predictably, the story of his breakout continues to make for compelling news coverage in Australia.
The 33-year old has now allegedly reached out to a reporter at Australia’s News Corp, demanding bitcoin in return for an interview described as “the holy grail of journalism” by Davidson.
Australian laws dictate that convicted criminals cannot be allowed to make profits from speaking to the media about details related to the crime. To get around this particular hurdle, Davidson is connecting media with his sister, or atleast someone purporting to be her.
Reaching out via Wickr, a Snapchat-like messaging app with an auto-delete feature, Davidson’s sister wrote:
Exclusive interview no restrictions $3500000 paid in bitcoin…if not accepted in time and payment made soon after the deals off the table [sic] every week that goes by the price increases.
A disclaimer by the publication added that it did not, nor does it ever intend to pay the bitcoin sought by Shaun Davidson or his alleged sister.
Meanwhile, Davidson has taken to Facebook to regularly taunt InAustralianand Austrlian law enforcement agencies about his escape and regularly ‘checks-in’ to various locations around the world. Davidson purportedly ‘checked in’ at the McDonalds outlet in Singapore’s Changi airport yesterday, days after checking in Atapupu in Indonesia and Oistins, a coastal village in Barbados.
Featured image from YouTube/MegaNews .
