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A grandmother from Teesside is given the death penalty after being found guilty of smuggling cocaine in her luggage.
British woman Lindsay Sandiford has been sentenced to death for drug smuggling on the Indonesian island of Bali.
The 56-year-old grandmother had been found guilty of violating the country's strict drug laws.
Sandiford was arrested in May 2012 at Bali airport when customs officers found 3.8kg of cocaine worth £1.6m in her luggage. She claimed she had been forced to smuggle the drugs into Bali from Thailand by a criminal gang.
Prosecutors announced in December that they would be recommending a 15-year jail sentence, after Sandiford agreed to co-operate in a sting operation after her arrest in which police swooped on four other suspects.
Delivering their verdict, a judge panel headed by Amser Simanjuntak said that Sandiford had damaged the image of Bali as a tourism destination and weakened the government's programme of drug annihilation.
"We find Lindsay Sandiford convincingly and legally guilty of importing narcotics," said Simanjuntak.
In her witness statement, Sandiford said: "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."
The Foreign Office confirmed that the suspects being held include Rachel Dougall and fellow British nationals Julian Ponder and Paul Beales. An Indian man was also arrested.
Dougall, whose young daughter is reportedly being cared for by their maid and gardener on the island, has claimed she was the victim of a "fit-up".
Reprieve, a charity which seeks to enforce human rights for prisoners, said Sandiford was targeted by drug traffickers.
Spokeswoman Harriet McCulloch said: "Lindsay was targeted by drug traffickers who exploited her vulnerability and made threats against her children.
"Following her arrest, she was interrogated by the Indonesian police without a translator, legal representation or the assistance of the British Embassy for 10 days.
A statement by Dr Jennifer Fleetwood, an expert on the coercion of women in the international drug trade, was also read out, which suggested that Sandiford's "vulnerability" would have made her an ideal target for drugs traffickers.
"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 by one or more parties over a period of time, which led to her being stopped at Ngurah Rai International Airport".
http://news.sky.com/story/1041142/briton-sentenced-to-death-for-drug-smuggling
British woman Lindsay Sandiford has been sentenced to death for drug smuggling on the Indonesian island of Bali.
The 56-year-old grandmother had been found guilty of violating the country's strict drug laws.
Sandiford was arrested in May 2012 at Bali airport when customs officers found 3.8kg of cocaine worth £1.6m in her luggage. She claimed she had been forced to smuggle the drugs into Bali from Thailand by a criminal gang.
Prosecutors announced in December that they would be recommending a 15-year jail sentence, after Sandiford agreed to co-operate in a sting operation after her arrest in which police swooped on four other suspects.
Delivering their verdict, a judge panel headed by Amser Simanjuntak said that Sandiford had damaged the image of Bali as a tourism destination and weakened the government's programme of drug annihilation.
"We find Lindsay Sandiford convincingly and legally guilty of importing narcotics," said Simanjuntak.
In her witness statement, Sandiford said: "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."
The Foreign Office confirmed that the suspects being held include Rachel Dougall and fellow British nationals Julian Ponder and Paul Beales. An Indian man was also arrested.
Dougall, whose young daughter is reportedly being cared for by their maid and gardener on the island, has claimed she was the victim of a "fit-up".
Reprieve, a charity which seeks to enforce human rights for prisoners, said Sandiford was targeted by drug traffickers.
Spokeswoman Harriet McCulloch said: "Lindsay was targeted by drug traffickers who exploited her vulnerability and made threats against her children.
"Following her arrest, she was interrogated by the Indonesian police without a translator, legal representation or the assistance of the British Embassy for 10 days.
A statement by Dr Jennifer Fleetwood, an expert on the coercion of women in the international drug trade, was also read out, which suggested that Sandiford's "vulnerability" would have made her an ideal target for drugs traffickers.
"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 by one or more parties over a period of time, which led to her being stopped at Ngurah Rai International Airport".
http://news.sky.com/story/1041142/briton-sentenced-to-death-for-drug-smuggling
