In Australia, the case received national media coverage at the time of the Schappelle Corby and "Bali Nine" trials, two other high profile cases of Australians convicted on drugs charges in Bali.
Early career
Leslie was born in Adelaide, South Australia to Albert and Violeta Leslie. Albert Leslie, her father, was later known both as a former Olympian and as assistant coach to the Adelaide 36ers basketball team. A self-confessed tomboy when young, Michelle Leslie was educated at Sacred Heart College in Adelaide, and became interested in modeling only after her father gave her a course at a modeling school as a 15th birthday present. She enjoyed it enough to undertake a second course, and shortly thereafter left school in order to pursue a fulltime modeling career. She soon emerged as one of the "most prominent catwalk and catalogue models" in the state, working for stores such as David Jones and Harris Scarfe.
In 2000 she appeared as one of the 20 finalists in the first series of the Australian Search for a Supermodel reality show, and was first runner-up in the 2000 Miss World Australia pageant held in Darwin.
Arrest and trial
On 21 August 2005 two pills were discovered by police in Michelle Leslie's handbag during her visit to an open-air dance party at GWK park on the Indonesian island of Bali. Police suspected the pills to be illegal substances and she was arrested, with forensic tests subsequently finding the pills to be the drug ecstasy. Urine tests conducted at the time of her arrest showed no evidence of the use of the drug, although a later blood test found traces of amphetamines. Her arrest was the third arrest of an Australian in Bali on drugs charges in twelve months following the Schapelle Corby and Bali Nine cases. This prompted Australian Foreign Affairs Minister, Alexander Downer, to warn Australians about the dangers of drug possession while traveling in Asia, and led the Australian Prime Minister, John Howard, to comment that Australians caught with drugs "can't expect the Government to bail them out.
According to Indonesian police, Leslie claimed that the pills were given to her by a friend, "Mia". Mia was later revealed to be Nameera Azmaan, who was also a model based in Singapore and working out of the Chic Management Agency. Azmaan denied having given the ecstasy to Ms Leslie. At the time of arrest, Leslie was in the company of Azman and, allegedly, one of the sons of the then Coordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal Bakrie and two unidentified men.
On 14 October 2005 the Sydney Morning Herald reported that Leslie could possibly be released within weeks as a report from a Sydney doctor had been provided to prosecutors stating that she was addicted to prescription medication. Under Indonesian law this would allow her to be tried as a "user" and benefit from a reduced sentence. The maximum sentence for a user is three months imprisonment, whereas the maximum penalty for possession is 15 years.
Leslie's trial began on 28 October 2005 in the Denpasar District Court and concluded on 18 November with her being found guilty of using a prohibited substance. She was sentenced to three months in jail but, due to the three months already spent in custody, was freed from Kerobokan prison at about 1 p.m. on 19 November. Indonesian immigration officials announced the she would be deported from the country due to her guilty conviction. She flew out of Bali to Singapore where she spent time with friends and family before returning to Sydney, Australia on the morning of 22 November.
Alleged conversion to Islam
During her incarceration, Leslie began wearing Islamic dress and announced through a spokesman that she had converted to the Islamic faith some eighteen months prior to her arrest, although some in the media had suggested otherwise—arguing that her conversion was much more recent and an attempt to win favour in court. However, the nature of her belief remains unclear. In an interview after her release, she stated that she did not "really know what makes you or not makes you a Muslim", and that she was "not a practising Muslim". Years later, her religious beliefs continued to spark commentary, with accusations that she was an "on-again, off-again Muslim model" and that she had "introduced the world to disposable Islam".
The change in dress that coincided with her announcement led to further debate, with Leslie choosing to don a burqa on one occasion when she appeared in court, and opting to wear Islamic dress, such as traditional Muslim hijab, until she was released.Strong criticism emerged upon her release when she was seen wearing tight-fitting clothes without the hijab on her departure from the prison. Once she had returned to Australia, the President of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Ameer Ali, joined the debate by recommending that she refrain from returning to her former career as "a model for lingerie and underwear", as such behaviour was "not allowed in Islam". In explaining her reasons for adopting the dress, Leslie stated in an interview for 60 Minutes, that the reason she started wearing the hijab while incarcerated was because she was afraid of being sexually assaulted, and to protect herself when she faced the "media scrum".
Recent activities
Upon her return to Australia, Michelle Leslie left the Chic Management agency and signed with agent Max Markson. Shortly thereafter she travelled to Cambodia to help raise money for the charity Krousar Thmey, meeting with King Norodom Sihamoni and spending time in local orphanages, before returning home to once again appear on the catwalk. Arriving in time for Australian Fashion Week, her return to the catwalk was in April 2006, modelling swimwear for designer Michael Azzollini.
Although she did have a few modelling jobs after returning to Australia, her career took a different turn when, in 2007, she launched a range of clothing for dogs. Working with friend (and current owner of the business) Traci Griffith, "Miyow & Barkley" had early success when their first range of clothing and accessories sold out shortly after being launched.
References
Taylor, Rob (28 October 2005). "Leslie claims she was on Ritalin". News Limited.
Forbes, Mark (14 October 2005). "Leslie may be free in weeks". Sydney Morning Herald.
Powell, Sian (23 August 2005). "New face of a Bali drug nightmare". The Australian.
Forbes, Mark (23 August 2005). "Model could lose 15 years for pair of pink pills". The Age.
Forbes, Mark (24 August 2005). "Model still facing years in prison". Sydney Morning Herald.
Gibson, Jano (25 August 2005). "Model 'admits ecstasy addiction'". Sydney Morning Herald.
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