BREAKING: British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford has returned to the UK after narrowly escaping execution in Indonesia. The 69-year-old was sentenced to death in January 2013 for drug trafficking, found with cocaine valued at approximately £1.6 million ($A3.2 million) as she arrived in Bali.
Images published by the Daily Star and Metro show Sandiford in a wheelchair, shielding her face with a jumper outside Heathrow Airport on Friday. This urgent repatriation follows an agreement signed last month between Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Indonesia’s Senior Minister of Law Yusril Ihza Mahendra.
Sandiford’s case drew international attention after she admitted to the drug offenses, claiming she was coerced by threats to her son’s life. Despite prosecutors recommending a 15-year sentence, she was handed the death penalty.
Alongside Sandiford, fellow British national Shahab Shahabadi, 35, was also set to return to the UK after serving a life sentence since 2014 for his involvement in an international drug trafficking network. Both individuals have faced severe health issues during their incarceration.
Indonesia’s last executions occurred in July 2016, involving four individuals, including three Nigerians. The country has faced criticism for its harsh drug laws, especially following the high-profile executions of Australian Bali Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran in 2015.
As Sandiford reunites with her family, the implications of her case continue to resonate, highlighting the complexities of international drug laws and the human cost associated with them.
Stay tuned for more updates as this story develops.
