Sara Connor, 'stressed' and 'confused' after jail sentence in Bali, faces key decision.

By Samantha Hawley

Sara Connor has a tough decision to make.

The Byron Bay woman, sentenced to four years’ jail by a Bali court on Monday, has a week to decide whether she will appeal in Bali’s High Court or accept the ruling from the panel of three judges.

If the 46-year-old does appeal to have the conviction overturned, she runs the risk of having the sentence increased.

She has already served seven months of the sentence and Indonesia’s justice system is well known for granting remissions on major religious and national holidays.

The Australian and her British boyfriend, David Taylor, were found guilty of group assault causing death in the Denpasar District Court.

Taylor, 34, was sentenced to six years behind bars. He will not appeal.

“We do believe that our son David feared for his own life that night and his actions reflect that,” his father, John Taylor, a priest from the United Kingdom, told the press after the ruling.

“But at the end we are content with the sentence.”

Connor’s legal team was outraged by the verdict and said their client was innocent and did nothing to cause the officer’s death.

“You know the law gives us seven days to decide to appeal or not,” said one of Connor’s lawyers, Robert Khuana.

“So I believe Sara is confused, she is stressed, maybe depressed. We will advise her to appeal because we are sure that she is innocent.”

If Connor appeals and fails in the High Court her case can proceed to Bali’s Supreme Court, Indonesia’s highest judiciary, after which there is also an option of a judicial review.

Connor’s lawyer in Australia, Peter Strain, issued a statement not long after the verdict was handed down.

“We the family and friends of Sara Connor are devastated by the verdict,” it reads.

“The whole trial has been traumatic for the family, especially Sara’s two boys. At least we have certainty now.”

Despite her insistence of innocence, the judges were scathing of Connor’s decision to destroy evidence after the crime, including by cutting up the police officer’s ID cards. In their ruling, they said she was driven by guilt.

They also cast doubt on her claims that she was trying to separate her boyfriend and the police officer, Wayan Sudarsa, as they fought on the beach, ruling she was involved in the assault.

The family of the slain officer, who was found dead with 42 wounds to his body, told the ABC it is now a matter for authorities. They had called for the harshest sentence possible.

Both of the accused received less jail time than the prosecutor’s recommendation of eight years.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.