An Australian man has been arrested over an alleged public sex act in Bali following a manhunt that ended at the airport.

Billy Aspinall, 27, from Coolum Beach, was detained overnight after CCTV footage of the alleged incident on August 22 went viral.

Police and immigration authorities alleged the man was caught trying to leave on a flight to Brisbane, with facial recognition technology used to identify him from the CCTV.

“On Tuesday (25/8/2026), B.A. (police used this acronym) was successfully secured by the inspection officer of (immigration checkpoint) Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport while departing for Brisbane,” officials said.

“Intelligence and Immigration Action Team (Inteldakim) Immigration Office Ngurah Rai moves quickly to secure those concerned, which was later handed over to Badung Resort Police for further legal process.”

He and an unidentified woman were allegedly shown on camera performing several sex acts next to a residential property in Tibubeneng village, North Kuta, at about 6.30 p.m. on Saturday.

The woman in the video is still wanted by police. It is suspected she is also a tourist.

A local woman stumbled across the pair as she was on her way to prayer, as seen in the footage, and reportedly shouted at them to stop what they were doing.

The entire alleged act lasted 15 minutes before the pair were seen to walk away.

Authorities described the alleged incident as a “reckless act” in a post announcing the arrest on Wednesday.

In Bali, sexual intercourse in public is believed to bring bad energy to the home. In this case, the woman was forced to perform a Hindu ceremony after the indecent act.

Authorities believe B.A., an Australian citizen born in 1998, held a valid visa on arrival.

“The identity of the female foreigner suspected of being involved is still being investigated by the Police and is currently being pursued by authorities to be held accountable,” the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office said.

“Immigration has also included B.A. in the Subject of Interest (SOI) list to monitor his movements when crossing through the Immigration Checkpoint.”

While Bali itself is predominantly Hindu, Indonesia is a Muslim-majority country that has conservative laws and harsh views on pornography.

On January 2 of this year, Indonesia formally implemented its new Criminal Code – a lengthy legal document which ushered in a number of new and revised laws that criminalise premarital sex, cohabitation and public drunkenness.

In March this year, three tourists were arrested in Bali after local police accused them of filming pornographic content on the holiday island.

North Kuta chief police commander Ketut Sukadana said this week the alleged “indecent acts have the potential to cause public concern.”

“Particularly among the residents of Tibubeneng, and may negatively affect the image of security and tourism in the North Kuta area if the matter is not addressed and handled seriously by taking firm action against the perpetrators, whether under local customary law or national law,” he said.