A Bali court has ruled that an Indonesian man who stabbed Australian Heidi Murphy 37 times did not intend to murder her, instead jailing him for violent burglary. Ms Murphy, who ran a clothing business in Bali, was stabbed dozens of times when she awoke to find Ahmad Fahrul Rosi robbing her villa on the Indonesian resort island in February.

During his trial in the Denpasar District Court, Rosi begged for forgiveness and said he never meant to kill the Australian, only to steal from her to pay for his wedding. Prosecutors had argued the 23-year-old intended to murder Ms Murphy when he entered her rented home. Had he been convicted on that charge, he could have faced the death penalty. But a panel of three judges today found Rosi had “spontaneously” killed Ms Murphy, and was guilty of the lesser charge of violent burglary. They sentenced him to 15 years’ jail.

“We find the defendant Fahrul Rosi has been proven officially and convincingly guilty of committing burglary with violence, causing death,” Chief Judge Daniel Palittin told the court. The defendant unintentionally committed murder against the victim. “The defendant went to the victim’s place to steal. During the burglary the victim woke up, the defendant panicked and blindingly stabbed the victim.

The court noted Rosi’s confession and the remorse he had expressed for his actions, including an apology to Ms Murphy’s family. But it also noted the inhumane nature of the crime, and the fact that Rosi, who had a lengthy criminal record, profited from it.

Rosi told his trial that he had been watching several Bali villas in the beach side location of Canggu, where Ms Murphy lived, with the intention of breaking in and stealing valuables. He said he only attacked Ms Murphy after she awoke during the robbery. He admitted stealing two mobile phones, a laptop computer and some cash, which he used to buy an engagement ring for his girlfriend. Rosi said he needed the money to pay for their wedding, which his ageing farmer parents in East Java could not afford.

Police arrested Rosi after tracing calls from Ms Murphy’s mobile phone. One of the calls was made on the night of the murder, after Rosi had jumped into Ms Murphy’s pool to wash off her blood, ruining his own phone. Prosecutor Eddy Artha Wijaya had demanded Rosi be handed a life jail term, describing Ms Murphy’s slaying as cruel and bad for Bali’s tourism industry.

Prosecutors and Rosi’s lawyers have seven days to state if they will lodge an appeal.

On Wednesday, the same court will hand down its verdict and sentence for Rosi’s alleged accomplice, 28-year-old Indonesian construction worker Nuryanto Bin Sudar. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.

None of Ms Murphy’s family or friends were in court for today’s ruling.