Drugs Mule Lindsay Sandiford Could Walk Straight Back Into Jail
Lindsay Sandiford, a 69-year-old British grandmother, was seen leaving Kerobokan Prison in Bali in a wheelchair after serving twelve years on death row for smuggling cocaine worth £1.6 million from Bangkok. Her release has sparked uncertainty about her future, as Indonesian officials hinted she may face imprisonment again upon her return to the United Kingdom.
Return and Official Statement
“In England, she will remain in prison,” said Indonesia’s Deputy Minister for Immigration and Correctional Coordination, I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, speaking to the Mirror.
The British Foreign Office has not confirmed or denied Mataram’s claim, leaving Sandiford’s legal status in the UK unresolved.
The Journey Home
Sandiford left her cell just after 2 p.m. GMT, accompanied by another British inmate, 35-year-old Shahab Shahabadi, who had been serving a life sentence for drug-related crimes. Both were briefly presented to the local press before being transferred to British diplomats at Denpasar International Airport for their flight home.
Wearing a face mask and avoiding cameras, Sandiford boarded a Qatar Airways flight to London via Doha. Her departure took place at the same airport where, in 2012, she had been paraded before the media in prison clothes beside a table filled with cocaine.
Author’s Summary
After twelve years on Bali’s death row, Lindsay Sandiford’s release has reignited questions about her fate in Britain, as officials suggest she could face imprisonment once again.