Lindsay Sandiford, a 69-year-old grandmother from Cheltenham, is finally returning to the UK after spending over a decade on Bali’s death row for drug smuggling. She was arrested in 2012 for carrying £1.6 million worth of cocaine into Indonesia and sentenced to death in 2013.
Seen leaving Bali’s notorious Kerobokan Prison in a wheelchair, Sandiford appeared frail and unwell. Authorities took her to Denpasar International Airport, where she boarded a Qatar Airways flight bound for the UK. Her journey, funded by the UK government at a cost of £600, follows a humanitarian agreement brokered by Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Indonesian officials to secure her release.
Although Sandiford is free from Indonesian incarceration, uncertainty surrounds her fate upon arrival in the UK. Indonesian Deputy Minister for Immigration and Correctional Coordination, I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, stated that she will remain in prison once back in England.
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During her imprisonment, Sandiford’s health deteriorated, with diabetes and hypertension impacting her condition severely. Pastor Christine Buckingham, who recently visited her in Kerobokan, described Sandiford’s health as very poor and emphasized her strong desire to reunite with family and receive medical care.
Sandiford was originally a legal secretary before relocating to India in 2012 after losing her home. Her arrest in Bali came after traveling from Bangkok with nearly 5kg of cocaine hidden in her luggage. She claimed coercion by a UK-based drug syndicate threatening her family, and despite cooperating with authorities and participating in a sting operation, she was sentenced harshly. Prosecutors had initially sought a 15-year sentence, but she was given the death penalty.
Over the years, she became a mentor to fellow inmates, earning the nickname “Grandmother” as she taught knitting classes. Indonesia has not executed any prisoners since 2016, while UK officials negotiated her repatriation continuously over the past 18 months.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office confirmed ongoing support for British nationals detained abroad and maintained close communication with Indonesian authorities during these negotiations. Sandiford’s release closes a grim chapter, but her future remains uncertain as she faces possible imprisonment in the UK.