Convicted drug smuggler Schapelle Corby claims she felt bullied by another Australian inmate in a notorious Balinese prison.
The 42-year-old made explosive claims she was tormented by Bali Nine member Renae Lawrence in a tell-all interview with the Sunday Telegraph.
Corby was sentenced to 20 years behind bars in May 2005 after 4.2kg of Marijuana was found in her bag and was joined in Kerobokan prison by Lawrence in 2006.
Corby (pictured) was sentenced to 20 years behind bars in May 2005 after 4.2kg of Marijuana was found in her bag and was joined in Kerobokan prison by Lawrence in 2006.
She says the pair were initially friends but their relationship deteriorated quickly.
‘I was very fearful of her,’ Corby said.
‘I’ve had comments from other people who saw us in the visit area together and were like ‘how do you let her speak to you like that’ but I wasn’t really seeing it,’ she said.
After her father passed away from cancer in 2008, Corby’s mental health deteriorated, which drove her into a ‘dark state of mind’ when combined with Lawrence’s alleged bullying.
Lawrence’s lawyer Drew Hamilton said his client vehemently denied allegations of bullying Corby when contacted by the Sunday Telegraph.
The 42-year-old made explosive claims she was bullied by Bali Nine member Renae Lawrence (pictured)
Corby acknowledged there were times her behaviour wasn’t perfect, but she kept out of Lawrence’s way as much as she could until they were able to live together without drama in the same block.
This week marked 15 years since she became a household name when the then 27-year-old beauty student was arrested at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport for drug smuggling, a crime she still denies committing.
After a series of sentence reductions, Corby was released on parole in February 2014 after nine years behind bars.
Hospitalised twice for mental health issues before her release, she says thought she would die in prison.
‘It’s so amazing that I’m actually here. I did not think I would actually be able to leave — like I would die in there,’ she said.
After a series of sentence reductions, Corby (pictured) was released on parole in February 2014 after nine years behind bars
After three living in Bali, she was deported back to Australia in May 2017 amid a media frenzy.
Corby is in a long-term relationship with Ben Panangian, 38, an Indonesian surfer she first met at a church service at Kerobokan Prison in 2006.
She said she has been asked to star on reality television programs including The Bachelorette, but declined because of her relationship.
Earlier this month she told Woman’s Day magazine earlier they were trying for a baby although the couple only spend ‘two precious weeks a year together’ because Ben is unable to enter Australia due to his criminal record.
Life since she returned hasn’t been easy- struggling to find employment with her infamy and plagued with flashbacks of her incarceration.
She said she has been asked to star on reality television programs including The Bachelorette, but declined because of her relationship
Corby (right) is in a long-term relationship with Ben Panangian (left), 38, an Indonesian surfer she first met at a church service at Kerobokan Prison in 2006.
Now residing with her mum south of Brisbane, leaving the house has become difficult without being stalked by paparazzi.
The interview comes two week after she announced her new book, titled ‘Schapelle Corby, My Story’.
It promises to be a ‘fully revised and updated’ version of her life since her release from Kerobokan Prison in 2014 and her return to Australia.
The Bali Nine were caught trying to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin, strapped to their bodies, out of Bali’s Denpasar airport in April 2005.
Lawrence, who was originally given life in prison, became the only member to be released when she was deported to Australia in November 2018.
In late 2013, Lawrence was moved from Kerobokan to a prison in Negara after authorities accused her of plotting to kill prison guards.
Lawrence (pictured), who was originally given life in prison, became the only member to be released when she was deported to Australia in November 2018.