Lindsay Sandiford, 68, was sentenced to death in 2013 after being caught with cocaine worth $2.14million in her suitcase when she arrived in Bali from Thailand a year earlier
Lindsay June Sandiford was sentenced to death in 2013 after cocaine worth $2.14million was found in her suitcase when she arrived in Bali from Thailand a year earlier(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
A North East grandmother who has spent 12 years on death row in Indonesia is set to return to the UK following more than a decade behind bars.
Under the terms of an agreement reached with the Indonesian authorities, Lindsay Sandiford will be sent home alongside fellow British national Shahab Shahabadi. An Indonesian official confirmed today: “The practical arrangement will be signed today. The transfer will be done immediately after the technical side of the transfer is agreed.”
The grandmother, originally from Redcar, received a death sentence in 2013 after authorities discovered her carrying cocaine valued at $2.14million concealed in a hidden compartment within her suitcase upon her arrival from Thailand the previous year.
The Indonesian government representative stated Sandiford’s age as 68, although it is believed she may actually be 69. Officials have arranged a press conference regarding their release scheduled for later today.
This development follows Bali’s decision to ease its famously harsh drug trafficking legislation. Under the revised laws, Sandiford – having demonstrated exemplary conduct during her decade-plus incarceration – became a prime candidate for release, reports the Mirror.
Indonesia has recently liberated other traffickers serving comparable terms as the nation softens its historically severe anti-narcotics policies.
Sources suggest that Sandiford is so optimistic about securing her freedom that she has begun distributing her personal belongings amongst her fellow prisoners. Earlier this year, a source revealed to the Mirror: “For a long time Lindsay was resigned to her fate, but now she’s dreaming of freedom. Foreign Office officials have spent a lot of time visiting her in prison, and they’re working hard to secure her freedom.”
Earlier this year, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s government has taken steps to send back several prominent drug convicts to their native countries. This includes Serge Atlaoui, who was transferred back to France in February on ‘humanitarian grounds’ owing to his medical condition.
In February, Filipino domestic worker Mary Jane Veloso, 40, also experienced liberty for the first time in 15 years following her arrest for carrying 2.6kg (5.7lb) of heroin at Indonesia’s Yogyakarta airport.
Meanwhile, five members of the infamous Bali Nine were released in December despite their convictions for attempting to traffic 8.3kg of heroin from Indonesia in April 2005.
Our ChronicleLive Daily newsletter is free. You can sign up to receive it here. It will keep you up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from the North East.
Join our WhatsApp communities
ChronicleLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join our communities.
We have a number of communities to join, so you can choose which one you want to be part of and we’ll send you the latest news direct to your phone. You could even join them all!
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press ‘join community’.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.
Join the ChronicleLive Breaking News and Top Stories community
Join our Court & Crime community
Join the Things to do in Newcastle and the North East community
Join our Northumberland community
Join our County Durham community
Join our Great North Run community