Mr Taylor - the boyfriend of Byron Bay woman Sara Connor - admitted for the first time during police interrogation on Monday he had bashed police officer Wayan Sudarsa with binoculars, a mobile phone and a beer bottle.

It was a momentous change to his earlier story of being bitten while trying to help a man lying in the sand.

"In the beginning Sara and David denied or lied," Denpasar police chief Hadi Purnomo said on Tuesday.

"After we interrogated them yesterday, we realised that what was said, what they said during the interrogations [on Saturday] were all lies."

Mr Taylor and Ms Connor were both declared suspects after Mr Sudarsa's bloodied corpse was found with 42 wounds on Kuta beach on August 17.

However lawyers for Ms Connor are hopeful it will be found their client played a lesser role after the Denpasar police chief said on Tuesday he will add "aiding or abetting" articles to the potential charges they could face.

Police had earlier said they could face second degree murder and assault charges, which carry a maximum of 15 years jail.

"The plan to add the [aiding or abetting] article would indicate the case will be tried separately," her lawyer Robert Khuana told Fairfax Media.

"In court we will try to prove that [Sara] played a minor role. As per our client statement, she did nothing that directly caused the death of the victim."

However when asked if Ms Connor would get a lighter sentence because she didn't commit murder, Mr Purnomo said: "She did help commit the murder, she was involved."

He said no potential charges were being dropped, but aiding or abetting roles were being added.

It had previously been unclear what triggered a vicious fight between Mr Sudarsa, who was on duty outside the Pullman Hotel in Bali that night, and Mr Taylor, who had been searching for his girlfriend's missing bag.

But Denpasar Police Chief Hadi Purnomo said Mr Taylor had accused the officer of being a bogus cop and tried to search him for the missing bag.

"David searched him, and as a police officer being searched by a member of the community, the officer was offended. So he pushed David," Mr Purnomo said.

"David can't accept that, then the struggle happened. They wrestled, the officer then pinned David [to the ground], Sara assisted and pulled the victim and the victim fell on her."

He said that in the struggle Mr Sudarsa bit Ms Connor on the arm and leg.

Mr Purnomo said Ms Connor then left to try and find her bag.

But Mr Taylor wasn't finished, bludgeoning Mr Sudarsa twice with a mobile phone.

"Then David said to the victim: 'You are a bogus cop. Where's my bag? Where's my bag? F--- you bastard police.' The officer said: 'I don't know.' But he kept insisting, three times."

Mr Purnomo said eventually Mr Taylor smashed the police officer in the head with a bottle, which shattered.

"By then David had lost it and hit him repeatedly with the broken bottle, causing the 17 wounds on the head. After the [officer's] head was injured, [Mr Taylor] searched his body, his belongings, that's how the victim's clothes got unbuttoned and loose. The man had already lost consciousness."

Mr Purnomo said it was unknown if the man had already died, face down, covered in sand.

He said Ms Connor had taken the police officer's wallet.

"They planned to burn the evidence, including shirts, bloodied clothes, and the victim's hand phone and wallet. They cut up the cards, they throw away the phone, and then they burned it."

Mr Purnomo said police would take the suspects to the site where they had burned the evidence when they were calmer.

On Tuesday they were taken to Sanglah hospital for a physical examination.

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