Schapelle Corby's defence team fears a prisoner could be killed after testifying in her favour on drug charges and will apply to have a Bali court closed to cameras to protect his identity when he takes the stand tomorrow.
A senior member of Corby's legal team, Vasu Rasiah, said the prisoner, John Patrick Ford, could face retribution when he returned to Australia after testifying that the former Gold Coast beauty student had been wrongly accused.
"We are worried for his safety and if the cameras are going to flag his face all over Australia, by the time he gets back he will be a dead man," Mr Rasiah said. "We will apply [to close the court]."
Mr Rasiah said he expected the Australian consulate to support the defence team's application. But if the application did not succeed, the important thing for Corby was "that he will be heard".
Ford, a prisoner on remand in Victoria, arrived in Denpasar late yesterday, escorted by prison staff, a Corrections Victoria spokesman said.
Corby's defence team hopes to meet Ford today to discuss his testimony. Ford had signed an affidavit naming three people who allegedly traffic drugs through Australian airports.
He claimed the drugs were put in Corby's bag without her knowledge in Brisbane but were not removed in Sydney, as planned.
Corby was arrested at Bali airport in early October after more than four kilograms of marijuana was found in her boogie board bag. Corby has denied all knowledge of the drugs. She could face death by firing squad if convicted.
Ford's arrival in Bali was preceded by days of confusion over whether he would be sent to testify after it emerged that the Indonesians had to make a formal request for his transfer. That sparked a war of words between Corby's lawyers and the Australian Government after the Attorney-General, Philip Ruddock, criticised the defence for approaching authorities only last Wednesday.
The way was cleared on Friday when Indonesia made its formal request and Australia made arrangements for Ford to be flown to Denpasar.
The court has set aside tomorrow or Thursday to hear his evidence.
Mr Rasiah said the defence was almost certain Ford would take the stand tomorrow.
Ford's ex-wife, Rita, said she also feared for his safety, and that there was no benefit for him in travelling to Bali to testify.
"You worry about people who are close to you. Of course I am [worried] and I think everyone in Australia should be."
Mrs Ford said her former husband wanted to try to help Corby. "He's hoping that he can help. It's the right thing to do."
Mr Ruddock continued his attacks on Corby's lawyers and supporters yesterday, urging them to tone down their media campaign.
"One of the things that we feel very strongly about in Australia is that our courts should be able to make their own judgements in relation to these matters, without influence by publicity and people using the media," Mr Ruddock told Channel Nine.
"What I've been surprised about is the extent to which, in this case, there has been a lot of campaigning through the media which, at the end of the day, makes it very much more difficult for the court to be able to deal with the range of issues it's going to have before it."
John Patrick Ford, the  Australian prisoner who testified at  Schapelle Corby’s Bali drug trafficking trial, has been convicted of 11 charges relating to the rape and assault of a woman.

Ford’s trial was postponed to allow him to travel to Bali in the custody of  Australian Federal Police officers to testify that he had overheard a jailhouse confession. Ford alleged he had heard another prisoner claim ownership of the  marijuana found in Corby’s possession. He told the Balinese court that Corby was the victim of an Australian domestic inter-airport drug-smuggling operation. She is currently serving a 20-year prison term after being convicted in that case.   

In December 2005, a County Court jury convicted Ford of 11 charges, including rape, intentionally causing injury, threatening to inflict serious injury, false imprisonment, aggravated burglary, burglary, making threats to kill and stalking, but a suppression order issued by the court prevented publication of the convictions until the pre-sentencing hearing on Friday, January 27, 2006. 

Ford’s lawyer, Tom Danos, told the hearing that Corby had written to Ford thanking him for risking his own welfare by agreeing to testify. Danos urged the court to be lenient in sentencing Ford, claiming that his victim had effectively forgiven him for his crimes and that he deserved a lighter sentence for co-operating with authorities investigating the Corby case.

Ford has been attacked twice in jail since testifying at Corby’s Bali trial. Since returning from Bali in March, 2005, Ford has remained in protective custody, to prevent further attacks. Danos claimed that this would make any jail sentence particularly difficult for his client.

County Court Judge Margaret Rizkalla adjourned the pre-sentencing hearing to a date yet to be set.