Indonesian authorities say British adult content creator Bonnie Blue remains at the centre of an immigration and pornography investigation after a high-profile police raid in Bali that has drawn international attention to the island’s strict morality laws. The 26-year-old, whose real name is Tia Billinger, was detained last week alongside 17 male tourists after officers stormed a rented studio and seized a vehicle branded the “BangBus”, cameras and boxes of props during what police allege was a sexually themed reality-style shoot. Although officials have so far stopped short of filing formal pornography charges, they have repeatedly highlighted that producing explicit content in Indonesia can carry penalties of up to 15 years in prison and multi-billion-rupiah fines under national law.
Blue broke her public silence on the case in brief remarks to journalists as she was escorted between police and immigration offices in Bali this week. Wearing casual clothes and flanked by officers, she said she would “speak soon” about what had happened, but declined to set out her version of events in detail. In footage widely shared online she was asked directly whether she expected to go to prison and responded that people would have to “subscribe and you’ll find out,” a reference to the subscription platforms on which she built her career.
Police in Badung regency say they raided the premises after receiving a complaint from a foreign resident on the island who alleged that Blue was organising group sex sessions in a customised vehicle and promoting them internationally. The informant later told local media they went to the authorities because “that kind of thing is not for us,” arguing that Bali’s reputation should not be tied to explicit sex tourism and suggesting such activities belonged in other countries with looser rules. Officers say they subsequently discovered what they described as a studio set up with lighting, cameras and costumes and took 15 Australians, two Britons and Blue into custody for questioning.
According to investigators, the group was suspected of preparing a reality-style production featuring challenges and “games” with sexual themes rather than a conventional scripted film. Police have said they seized items including school-style outfits, condoms, lubricant, flash drives and pink necklaces from the location, along with the so-called BangBus that had appeared in Blue’s social media promotion. One senior officer told reporters it was “suspected that the place was used by the alleged perpetrator to produce pornographic videos,” while stressing that technical analysis of the material was still under way.
During the initial raid, all 18 detainees were taken for questioning. Four, including Blue, were kept in custody for further investigation, while most of the Australian participants were later released but ordered to remain in Bali as witnesses, with their passports held by authorities. Police say they did find at least one private sexual video on a phone belonging to a member of the group, but investigators have not yet said that it constitutes evidence of commercial porn production or distribution. Immigration officials have therefore focused on alleged visa violations, arguing the foreigners may have been working and filming content for profit while in the country on tourist documents.
Indonesia, a Muslim-majority nation, bans the production, distribution and public display of pornographic material under a 2008 law that carries some of the harshest penalties in the region. Legal guidance issued by the authorities states that anyone found guilty of producing or participating in explicit content can receive up to 15 years in prison and fines of up to six billion rupiah, the equivalent of hundreds of thousands of pounds. The same legislation allows for prosecution over sexually explicit material shared online, meaning content shot for subscription platforms can fall within its scope. Foreigners investigated under the law can also face expulsion from the country and long-term bans on re-entry.
Immigration specialists say that, despite the severe maximum penalties, deportation has historically been a more likely outcome for foreigners accused of similar offences. Jakarta-based lawyer Philo Dellano, who advises on immigration cases, told one outlet that Blue’s detention meant prosecutors could, in theory, proceed with a pornography case, but added that deportation and blacklisting from Indonesia were a probable end point. He suggested officials sometimes prefer to remove such cases quietly from the country rather than conduct lengthy public trials that could bring further attention.
Recent reporting from Indonesian authorities indicates that investigators have not found conclusive evidence of a full pornographic shoot being completed in Bali and are instead prioritising immigration breaches. Officials say Blue and several of the men misused their tourist visas by filming content and planning paid events without work permits, and that the BangBus vehicle was also being examined for registration and road-worthiness issues. After questioning, immigration officers have now moved to deport Blue and blacklist her from entering Indonesia for at least a decade, citing the visa violations and the impact of the scandal on public order.
The woman at the centre of the case had already achieved notoriety in the UK and Australia long before her arrest in Bali. Born in Nottinghamshire, Billinger performs under the name Bonnie Blue and gained international attention earlier this year after claiming to have had sex with 1,057 men in 12 hours, a feat she said was an attempt to break an unofficial adult-industry record. She has built a lucrative following on subscription sites by combining explicit content with publicity stunts and appearances on podcasts and social media programmes. In a documentary-style programme about her life produced for British television, she discussed her work and personal history, further raising her profile.
Her career has been repeatedly dogged by controversy. In 2024 she was barred from entering Fiji and ejected from Australia after promoting a “Schoolies” trip in which she encouraged newly-graduated teenagers to appear in sexually themed content, prompting public outcry and the cancellation of her visa. She has also attracted criticism for comments on sexual violence and relationships; in one widely reported interview she suggested that rape victims “bear some responsibility” in certain circumstances and said she “understands where Andrew Tate is coming from”, remarks that sparked fierce backlash online.
Supporters and critics have continued to argue over her Bali arrest on social media. Some users have questioned whether the alleged production amounted to pornography at all, pointing out that reality-style shows featuring sexual innuendo are widely available in other countries and suggesting the Indonesian authorities are unfairly targeting a foreign adult performer. Others have insisted that visitors must respect local laws and cultural norms and have backed the decision to investigate, noting Indonesia’s longstanding efforts to clamp down on what it views as public indecency and online obscenity.
For residents of Bali, the case has reopened debate about the pressures of mass tourism on the island’s conservative communities. The self-described “snitch” who first reported Blue to police said they were motivated by concern for Bali’s image and argued that the island should not be turned into a destination for shock-driven adult entertainment. Local officials have echoed that sentiment, reminding visitors that public displays of affection and drunken behaviour have previously triggered bans and that authorities have little tolerance for activities perceived as mocking religious or moral values.
As she left a recent immigration interview in Bali, Blue appeared outwardly calm, occasionally smiling as journalists followed her and asked whether she regretted bringing her tour to Indonesia. She repeated that she would give her side of the story in full at a later point and again steered attention towards her subscription platforms, reinforcing the crossover between her legal predicament and the online persona that helped cause it. For now, she remains a symbol of the clash between highly publicised adult content and jurisdictions that treat pornography as a serious criminal matter rather than a regulated industry.
If deportation proceeds as officials have indicated, Blue is expected to be put on a flight out of Indonesia under escort and barred from returning for at least ten years, while the men detained alongside her face similar bans or shorter exclusions depending on their degree of involvement. Indonesian police have left open the possibility of revisiting the case should new evidence emerge, but have signalled that, in the absence of further material, the immigration route offers the swiftest way to resolve a case that has placed both Bali’s legal system and Blue’s controversial career under intense scrutiny.
