Bali drug smuggler loses death penalty appeal

A British woman, who was sentenced to death by firing squad for drug trafficking in Bali, has now had her appeal rejected.

Lindsay Sandiford from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was found guilty of smuggling 4.8 kg (10.6lbs) of cocaine. A spokesperson from the Indonesian Supreme Court said that the sentence handed down by two lower courts would not be overturned.

The UK Foreign Office has stated that they will continue to support Sandiford and her family at this time, as well as reaffirming the “strong opposition” to the death penalty that it holds.

A statement provided by the UK Foreign Office said: “We will consider how to support any application for judicial review or clemency that Lindsay Sandiford chooses to make. We will continue to provide consular assistance to Lindsay Sandiford and her family at this difficult time.”

Sandiford claimed to be coerced into smuggling the cocaine, whereas the Indonesian authorities argued that she was at the centre of a drug trafficking ring which had brought cocaine from Bangkok to the island of Bali.

After she was convicted, a sentence of fifteen years imprisonment was suggested by the prosecution, yet a panel of judges decided to sentence her to death. Sandiford’s case has now been taken on by the British human rights charity Reprieve.   

Molly Kersey