British Gran On Death Row In Bali For Nine Years Awaits Firing Squad

A British grandmother who's nine year in to her death row sentence for smuggling cocaine is waiting to be executed.

65-year-old Lindsay Sandiford was caught with a suitcase full of drugs worth £1.6 million and was subsequently jailed in 2013.

The former legal secretary was sentenced to death by a court in Indonesia after being found guilty of smuggling cocaine into Bali.

Sandiford, who's originally from Redcar in the North East, is currently being kept at the infamous Kerobokan prison, where the execution method is likely to be by firing squad, reports The Mirror.

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If a prisoner manages to survive the firing squad, the commander is then obliged to shoot them in the head, the publication says.

Sandiford claimed she was pressured into carrying the drugs by a gang who had made threats against her children.

Her lawyers also argued she was suffering from mental health problems.

]In a statement to the court, she expressed regret over her involvement: "I would like to begin by apologising to the Republic of Indonesia and the Indonesian people for my involvement. I would never have become involved in something like this but the lives of my children were in danger and I felt I had to protect them."

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Her son also gave a statement to the court saying she was forced to carry the drugs because of a disagreement over rent money she had paid on his behalf.

A report by Dr. Jennifer Fleetwood, a lecturer in criminology at the University of Kent and expert on women in the international drugs trade, was also presented to the court, suggesting Sandiford was an ideal target for drug traffickers.

She said: "There is evidence to suggest that a trafficker would seek someone who was vulnerable.

"Having reviewed extracts from Lindsay's medical records I know that Lindsay has a history of mental health issues.

"This may have unfortunately made her an attractive target for threats, manipulation and coercion."

130 people at the prison are reportedly waiting to be executed, while the last death penalty was carried out in 2015.

At the time, in a statement to the House of Commons, Hugo Swire, Minister of State for the Foreign Office, expressed his concern about the decision.

He said: "We are aware that Lindsay Sandiford is facing the death penalty in Indonesia.

"We strongly object to the death penalty and continue to provide consular assistance to Lindsay and her family during this difficult time."

Sandiford appealed against the decision but she had no money left to pay for a legal team.