Australian sex offender jailed for grooming a 14-year-old girl for sex found dead in a Bali hotel room

By ZAK WHEELER, NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 04:56, 8 May 2026 | Updated: 04:56, 8 May 2026 A convicted sex offender and former pharmacist has been found dead after Balinese hotel staff forced their way into his room when he failed to check out.  Kenneth Leslie Sternes, 77, was found unresponsive in his room at the Cove Griya Elite 1 hotel in East Denpasar on Wednesday afternoon. The former Brisbane pharmacist was jailed in Queensland in 2010 for being found guilty of grooming who he believed was a 14-year-old girl.  Hotel staff raised the alarm after Sternes failed to leave the room by the midday checkout time and did not respond to repeated knocks on the door. A housekeeper first knocked on the door about 1pm before staff tried again an hour later. By 3pm, a locksmith had been arranged to open the door.  Once the room was unlocked, staff discovered Sternes lying on the floor and contacted doctors from Bali International Hospital Sanur. Medical staff examined Sternes at the scene and declared him dead. Police believe the pharmacist died about six hours before he was found.  East Denpasar Police chief Ketut Tomiyasa said officers attended the hotel after receiving a report about the death at about 5.30pm. Convicted sex offender and pharmacist Kenneth Leslie Sternes (pictured) was found dead in his Bali hotel room on Wednesday after he failed to checkout on time 'We have also collected witness statements at the scene,' he said. Police said there were no signs of violence and that Sternes was suspected to have died from an illness. Officers found medication in the room, including Tamsulosin hydrochloride - medication commonly used to treat an enlarged prostate - and two insulin injections. An identification examination found injection marks on his right wrist, a catheter attached to his groin area and livor mortis on his back. Officers also found two white iPhones, a wallet with a small amount of cash inside, travel documents, an Australian Organ Donor Register card and a Dell laptop bag.  His body was taken to Sanglah Hospital in Denpasar.  Hotel management has contacted the Australian Consulate, which is expected to help notify Sternes' family of his death. In 2010, the then 61-year-old was found guilty of grooming a child under 16 and exposing a child to indecent material. Staff at Cove Griya Elite 1 hotel in East Denpasar had to get a locksmith to force their way into Sternes' room after he failed to check out  The court heard the registered pharmacist had communicated with an undercover police officer posing as a 14-year-old girl online.  Sternes was found to have sent explicit material during online conversations to 'Cassie Henry' with police using the username 'cassie daluvbug'.  He later attempted to arrange to meet the girl at his home in Brisbane's south-east. The court heard Sternes had told the girl he was 29-years-old, half his real age.  He was jailed for 27 months and ordered to serve 13 months behind bars. Balinese Police said the investigation surrounding Sternes' death is ongoing. 'We are still waiting for the family approval to do an autopsy to find the cause of the death,' Mr Tomiyasa said. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.