EMOTIONAL PLEA AFTER BALI TRAGEDY..! – CAMERON HUGHES’ EX-WIFE HAS BROKEN HER SILENCE, ASKING PEOPLE TO “PLEASE FORGIVE HIM” AFTER THE PERTH MAN D!ED WHILE BEING HELD IN A BALI IMMIGRATION CELL.
‘Forgive him’: Cameron Hughes’ ex-wife’s plea
The ex-wife of Perth man Cameron Hughes who died after being held in a Bali immigration cell has shared a message to his furious car yard customers.
The ex-wife of Perth man Cameron Hughes who died while being detained in Bali has pleaded with his automotive customers to “forgive him”.
Mr Hughes, who owned a car restoration company that closed down in December, was taken to the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office on Friday, July 10, after allegedly breaching his visa conditions.
He had been placed in a room inside the detention centre where he was waiting to be deported to Australia, but was later found unresponsive inside the bathroom.
In a statement shared on Thursday, Badung Police declared his death a suicide following an autopsy.
According to Indonesian authorities, Cameron Hughes (pictured) died by suicide.
According to the Daily Mail, on Thursday, Balinese police confirmed his ex-wife Indah had tipped off officials that he was breaching his visa after their marriage ended in 2024.
They share an eight-year-old son.
It is understood Mr Hughes’ car restoration company, Holden Resto, faced misconduct allegations with a dedicated Facebook page created for customers to share “horror stories”.
In a Facebook post seen by the ABC after his death, Indah reportedly told his customers she hoped they could “find it in (their) hearts to forgive him”.
“I humbly ask for your forgiveness for any mistakes, hurt, or wrongs he may have caused during his lifetime,” Indah said.
The page has 1200 followers with a bio that reads: “A community page for Holden owners to share experiences, warnings, timelines, photos, and lessons learned relating to dealings with Holden Resto Bali and associated parties”.
He was being held in an immigration centre for allegedly breaching his visa conditions.
Customers the publication has spoken to each paid amounts ranging from a few thousand dollars to $100,000 for Mr Hughes to source and restore classic cars.
The outlet said some customers’ cars have been in his car yard for more than five years with little to no work done.
While Mr Hughes reportedly denied scamming people, he is said to have apologised in a message sent two days prior to his death, the ABC reported.
“I also need to apologise… to everyone for my stupid behaviour in recent times. A lot of it caused by stress, confusion and hitting the turps,” he said in the message.
It comes as a draft statement shared by Mr Hughes’ family, which they said he had written six days before his death, showed him defending his work and denying allegations his business “deliberately does poor-quality work”.
“I was dealing with enormous personal and business stress. My health deteriorated badly. I was hospitalised late last year and again early this year with ulcers and anaemia, requiring blood transfusions,” the statement said, according to the ABC.
CCTV footage obtained by the Daily Mail shows Mr Hughes’ final moments before he was found unresponsive inside a toilet of his immigration cell. Picture: Daily Mail
“I have since received information from former staff suggesting that work was, at various times, deliberately slowed or stalled and that some work was carried out below the standards I had instructed.”
According to the Daily Mail, Mr Hughes shared a chilling post before his death explaining how he’d like to be remembered.
“I want to be remembered as someone that gives second chances to people, as I am grateful for the second chances people have given me over the years,” he wrote.
“Despite the challenges I’ve faced throughout my life, I’ve managed to smash through them all … I’m proud to be recognised as self-made, I started from nothing, and I’ve built a comfortable life for my family.”
During the press conference last week, authorities revealed Mr Hughes died by suicide.
“Based on the crime scene investigation and CCTV examination at the scene, the victim is suspected of ending his life…in the bathroom of the detention room,” Denpasar police chief, senior commissioner Pol. Leonardo D. Simatupang, told media on Thursday.
“This is supported by the results of the hospital autopsy.”
He was detained in Ngurah Rai Immigration Office in Indonesia.
He said Mr Hughes allegedly breached immigration violations “in the form of misuse of residence permits and overstaying” and was planned to undergo the deportation process.
“The victim was a foreigner who was in the process of being repatriated to his country but the victim chose to end his life, when found by the detention room guard checking the bathroom after the victim had been in the room for quite a long time,” he said.
The Hughes family said they’ve received conflicting information that has raised questions about his cause of death.
They’re calling for authorities to release more details about Mr Hughes’ detention and what happened while he was being held at Ngurah Rai.
His family, who said they’re in regular contact with Balinese immigration officials, denied suggestions he failed to co-operate with the authorities.
“We will be working closely with consular staff to understand what actually happened, and work with them to understand the full extent of the situation,” the family said.
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Mr Hughes’ family said the 39-year-old had been trying to navigate the country’s complex immigration system to extend his visa, following his split from his wife, in order to stay close to his son.
“Cameron was a beautiful person who loved his family deeply and was a devoted father,” his family said in a statement.
“He was resilient, hardworking and proud of overcoming challenges to build a good life. Taken too soon doesn’t even come close. We are completely broken as a family.”
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The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the Hughes family.
“We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time,” a department spokesperson said.
“Owing to our privacy obligations, we are unable to provide further comment.”
