Drugs Mule Lindsay Sandiford Could Return to Prison
Yesterday, 69-year-old grandmother Lindsay Sandiford left Kerobokan Prison in a wheelchair. She had been held for smuggling £1.6 million worth of cocaine from Bangkok. Indonesian authorities have indicated she might go straight back to prison upon returning to Britain after spending 12 years on death row in Bali for drug offenses.
Indonesia's deputy minister for immigration and correctional coordination told the Mirror about Sandiford's future in the UK:
In England, she will remain in prison.
The British Foreign Office has not confirmed or denied this statement.
Sandiford exited her cell shortly after 2 pm GMT with another British prisoner, 35-year-old Shahab Shahabadi, who is serving a life sentence for drug offenses. The two were briefly shown to local media before being handed over to British diplomats at the airport for repatriation.
Wearing a face mask and shielding herself from photographers, Sandiford was taken to Denpasar International Airport and boarded a Qatar Airways flight to London via Doha. This is the same airport where in 2012 she was publicly displayed in orange prison clothes beside a table with seized cocaine.
Key Facts
- Lindsay Sandiford was arrested and convicted for smuggling £1.6 million worth of cocaine.
- She spent 12 years on death row in Bali.
- She was seen leaving prison in a wheelchair yesterday.
- Authorities suggest she will face imprisonment upon returning to the UK.
- She traveled aboard Qatar Airways via Doha to London.
Background
Sandiford’s case gained international attention in 2012 when she was paraded publicly at Denpasar International Airport with the confiscated drugs. Her return marks the end of a lengthy and highly publicized legal process in Indonesia.
Official Statements
“In England, she will remain in prison.” – I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, Indonesia's deputy minister for immigration and correctional coordination
The British Foreign Office has yet to issue a formal response to these claims.
Summary: Lindsay Sandiford, after 12 years on death row in Bali for drug smuggling, is being repatriated to the UK where she likely faces imprisonment upon arrival.
Would you like the summary to be more formal or conversational?