Freed British Drug Mule Gran Faces Imprisonment in UK
The Foreign Office has not disclosed Sandiford's fate upon her return to the UK tomorrow. However, an Indonesian official stated: [translate:“In England, she will remain in prison.”]
Lindsay Sandiford, who spent over a decade on death row, will arrive on British soil after her release from Bali's notorious Kerobokan jail. The 69-year-old pensioner, frail and photographed in a wheelchair, experienced freedom for the first time in 13 years.
Wearing a mask and shielding her face from photographers, Sandiford was taken to Denpasar International Airport and boarded a Qatar Airways flight this afternoon.
A £600 plane ticket, funded by the UK government after a bilateral agreement between Keir Starmer and Indonesian authorities, secured her release. She is reported to be in very poor health as she undertakes the 20-hour journey to the UK.
This marks the conclusion of a distressing chapter for the former legal secretary, who was sentenced to death for smuggling £1.6 million worth of cocaine into Indonesia.
The Foreign Office has avoided confirming whether she will be freed or detained upon arrival. When questioned about Sandiford's situation in Britain, Indonesia's Deputy Minister for Immigration and Correctional Coordination, I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, stated:
[translate:“In England, she will remain in prison.”]
Sandiford departed her cell in Kerobokan jail shortly after 2 pm GMT.
Summary: Lindsay Sandiford, freed after 13 years on death row in Bali, returns to the UK facing likely imprisonment amid poor health and ongoing legal uncertainty.
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