A British grandmother sentenced to death is awaiting execution in a Bali prison after being convicted of drug smuggling.
Lindsay Sandford can do nothing but knit and wait to die while locked up in Paradise Island Prison.
The 65-year-old woman was found with 1.6 million pounds of cocaine in her suitcase, which she was trying to smuggle into Indonesia in 2013, according to the Mirror.
She has since awaited severe punishment in Indonesia for smugglers and drug dealers, as most have been sentenced to death – with the horrific method of execution being executed.
The woman can only knit and wait to die (Image: Gloucestershire Live)
Prisoners at Kerobokan Prison in Bali have been taken to a grassy area where they face armed soldiers who can shoot them, targeting the hearts of prisoners who can choose to sit or stand.
But if a prisoner survives the shot, the commander must shoot him in the head. Indonesia rarely carries out executions, with most prisoners awaiting the death penalty for more than 10 years.
Riots and violence by wardens are a regular occurrence at the Bali prison, which houses 1,100 more people than was built.
The prison was opened in 1979 and was built for 300 prisoners by 2017. Kerobokan Prison contains over 1,400 male and female prisoners of various nationalities.
Indonesian soldiers stand guard under guard tower in front of Kerobokan prison (Image: Getty) Read more Related articles Read more Related articles
Sandford, a former legal secretary at Redcar in the Northeast, has worked in the management for many years at a law firm in Cheltenham.
When she arrived in Bali from Bangkok, Thailand on May 19, 2012, she was arrested after a huge consignment of cocaine was found in her luggage.
In December 2015, two prisoners were killed in a riot between rival gangs. As a result, police transferred more than 100 prisoners to other local prisons.
The last executions in Indonesia were carried out in 2015, and 130 people, including Sandford, are awaiting execution.
Grandmother sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking (Image: UGC) Read more Related articles Read more Related articles
After her arrest, Sandford insisted she was forced to carry Class A drugs by a criminal gang that threatened to hurt her family if she refused.
However, the grandmother changed her story dramatically when she was told she would be sentenced to death if convicted of drug trafficking.
She broke down and told police she had been asked to carry drugs by antique dealer Julian Ponder, a British man living in Bali, and his partner Rachel Dougle.
Sandford even agreed to take part in a police sting to catch the couple, along with a third person, Paul Beals.
Lindsay Sandford to face Indonesian firing squad (Image: AFP via Getty Images)
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Ponder’s home was searched and he and Sandford were charged with drug trafficking. There was no evidence linking Dougle and Beals to the same crime, and they were charged with lesser crimes.
Sandford’s legal team claims she was pressured to carry drugs and suffered from mental health problems.
Their pleas were ignored and she was convicted – although even the prosecution pleaded for her to be sentenced to 15 years in prison, not death.
Dougle was found guilty of not reporting a crime and was jailed for a year, while Beals was convicted of possession of hashish and imprisoned for four years.
Ponder was acquitted of drug smuggling, but was convicted of drug possession and sentenced to six years in prison.
Despite requests from prosecutors, on January 22, 2013, judges sentenced Sandford to death.
She appealed the decision, but had no money left to pay for a legal team. A fundraising campaign managed to raise enough to take an Indonesian lawyer to Bali, but her appeal was rejected.
Sandford then appealed to the Supreme Court of Indonesia, which was also rejected. Ever since Gran was held at Kerobokan Prison in Bali.
She now spends her time behind bars knitting items, which she then sells to raise money to pay for her lawsuits. She even teaches other prisoners to knit.
However, spending so long in the death row affected Sandford, who befriended the suitcase killer Heather Mack during her time in prison.
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