WA: Small passport detail saw prominent lawyer detained in Bali when trying to ... trends now
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A very small detail on a prominent Western Australian lawyer's passport led to him being detained in Bali immediately after he arrived on the Indonesian tourist island.
John Hammond flew into Denpasar airport on Sunday and was going through the immigration process when suddenly a problem with his passport was spotted.
Perth radio station 6PR got a tip into its breakfast show rumour file that Mr Hammond was using an expired or close to expired passport.
Lawyer John Hammond (pictured) had just flown into Bali and was going through the immigration process when suddenly a problem with his passport was spotted
But rather than just go with what someone else had said, hosts Steve Mills and Karl Langdon went straight to the source - they phoned Mr Hammond.
After assuring them he wasn't being held in Kerobokan or any other Bali prison, the lawyer explained what happened.
'I was herded off to the bowels of the Denpasar airport when it was put to me that possibly my passport was a fake.
'It had a little tear in it about the size of a thumbnail, and that was the reason, I believe, why I was held with security at the back of the airport,' he said.
