Death Row Grandmother to Return to UK After Avoiding Execution
Lindsay Sandiford, a 69-year-old legal secretary, is set to fly back to the UK from Bali today after spending 13 years on death row for smuggling £1.6 million worth of cocaine into Indonesia.
Flight Arrangements and Health Condition
Sandiford was provided with a £600 plane ticket funded by the UK government. After leaving her cell in Bali’s Kerobokan jail, she will have a brief layover before arriving at London Heathrow Airport following a 20-hour journey.
"Lindsay is extremely unwell. She is desperate to get home and to be with her family. More than a decade in one of the world's worst prisons has taken its toll on her and she wants nothing more than to get back to the UK."
Companion and Transfer Details
Sandiford will leave jail alongside Shahab Shahabadi, a 35-year-old UK national detained in June 2014 who is serving a life sentence for drug offenses. They will travel together by car for 45 minutes to Denpasar International Airport, where the UK Ambassador Dominic Jermey will take custody of them.
Before boarding their flight, the two prisoners will be presented to the media one final time, surrounded by British officials.
Background
Sandiford’s death penalty, handed down in 2013, was narrowly avoided, allowing her to finally leave prison and return home after more than a decade of incarceration in harsh conditions.
Her case highlights the severe consequences of drug smuggling offenses in Indonesia and the support sometimes offered to vulnerable prisoners by their home countries.
Author’s Summary
Lindsay Sandiford’s journey home closes a painful chapter after 13 years on death row in Bali, reflecting the toll of harsh incarceration and the relief of narrowly escaping execution.