Bali Nine inmate Matthew Norman breaks his silence as he reacts to his freedom after 19 years in an Indonesian jail
A member of the Bali Nine is left speechless after regaining his freedom after nearly two decades in one of the world’s most notorious prisons.
Matthew Norman, 38, is one of the remaining ‘Bali Five’ who landed on Australian soil on Sunday from Indonesia, where they spent 19 years behind bars for trying to smuggle heroin out of Denpasar airport in April 2005.
Norman, the youngest of the Bali Nine members who was only 18 years old when they were caught, was keen to get his hands on ‘easy money, quick money’ when he was approached and offered $15,000 for a job in the drug trade.
It was a “reckless, callous” decision that would ruin his life and earn him the death penalty.
But after gaining his freedom in recent days, Norman couldn’t find the words to describe his joy.
said Matthew [in Indonesian]“I am overwhelmed. It happens so fast, I have no words left to say, I’m speechless. I am happy to be going home,” Putu Murdiana, head of Bali Corrections department, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
But it will undoubtedly be a bittersweet moment for Norman as he has a family in Indonesia from whom he is now separated.
He married his Indonesian girlfriend of four years, Anita, in February 2016.
Matthew Norman sits between Sydney’s Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen and Si Yi Chen in a Denpasar district courtroom before their sentencing in 2006. Nguyen later died of cancer in custody
The five released Bali Nine plotters, from left: Martin Stephens, Michael Czugaj, Scott Rush, Matthew Norman and Siu Yi Chen watch as their releases are signed by Australian and Indonesian officials
The couple said I do so in front of family and friends on the green grounds of Kerobokan prison, with Norman becoming stepfather to Aninta’s young daughter Stella, now 15.
The family could spend up to three hours a day together, turning prison into a bizarre home from home.
Loving family photos show the smiling husband and wife celebrating special occasions, including Stella’s recent graduation in June and Norman’s birthday in September.
Norman’s devoted father Michael had also moved to Bali to be with his son after quitting his life in Sydney due to concerns about his son’s welfare in prison.
It is unclear when the couple can be reunited as Norman is banned from returning to Indonesia.
Their only hope would be to get an Australian visa, but their unconventional relationship may not pass the country’s strict entry requirements.
“It is possible for a couple to have a genuine marital relationship within the meaning of the Migration Act even if they have never lived together,” Australian crimmigration lawyer Perry Q. Wood previously told Daily Mail Australia.
‘The question would be whether it is nevertheless possible to demonstrate that there is a real marital relationship.
Norman married his Indonesian girlfriend Anita in February 2016 (the couple is pictured together)
The couple said I do so in front of family and friends on the green grounds of Kerobokan prison, with Norman becoming stepfather to Aninta’s young daughter Stella, now 15 (pictured)
‘Taking into account evidence such as the financial aspects, the nature of the household, the social aspects and the couple’s level of commitment to each other.’
‘This could be difficult if the couple has never lived together, but the assessment would ultimately be up to a representative of the minister.’
Norman left school at the age of 16 because he wanted to work and earn money instead of completing his HSC.
He later told ABC News that he had been “reckless and callous, wanting to cut corners in life.”
Norman was just a naive teenager when he was first incarcerated in Kerobokan Prison and discovered that his incarceration had serious consequences for his family back home. One of his sisters became anorexic, another was harassed and his parents received hate mail.
One of only two of the original Bali Nine to remain in Kerobokan until his release, Norman designed T-shirts, bags and posters and continued to apply for a reduced sentence.
But he admitted that every day was “just a struggle to keep doing good things” amid the “chaos” of prison.
Norman was sentenced to life in prison at his trial in February 2006 and, like his co-defendant, Si Yi Chen confidently appealed for a reduction, with the shocking result that both were given the death penalty.
Norman was forced to make a full confession about his role in the Bali Nine drug plot to reinstate his original life sentence.
Afterwards, his mother, Robyn Davis, thanked the Indonesian government.
“Well, it’s better than getting shot, I guess,” she said.
‘He’s fine. Hopefully they’ll continue to take care of him while I’m not here and when I come back and spend some more time with my son.”
Norman was just 18 years old and eager to get his hands on “easy money, quick money” when he was approached and offered $15,000 for a job in the drug trade.
He had left school at 16 because he wanted to work and earn money instead of completing his HSC.
He later told ABC News that he had been “reckless and callous, wanting to cut corners in life.”
He has seen a fellow prisoner hang himself, while others went ‘mentally… crazy’ and ‘I can’t fall for that’.
‘We’re not getting any younger. It would be good to go home soon and start our lives again…start over,” Norman said in 2015.
Norman, along with fellow Bali Nine members Scott Rush, Martin Stephens, Si Yi Chen and Michael Czugaj, are currently being held at a Howard Springs facility near Darwin for an undisclosed period before rejoining their families are allowed to join.
The group will have to undergo rehabilitation in Australia as part of the conditions for their release from Indonesia.