A 69-year-old woman known as a drug mule, Lindsay Sandiford, is set to fly back home today after escaping the death penalty. She has been granted a seat on a flight from Bali to London Heathrow Airport, funded by the UK government. Sandiford, a legal secretary who was sentenced to death in 2013 for smuggling cocaine into Indonesia, will finally reunite with her family after enduring 13 years in a harsh prison in Bali.
Sandiford, along with another UK national, Shahab Shahabadi, will leave Kerobokan jail and be transferred to Denpasar International Airport to return to the UK. The arrangement for Sandiford’s release was made through a bilateral agreement between Indonesia and the UK government, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper advocating for her return.
Sandiford’s journey back home marks the end of a difficult chapter in her life, during which she maintained that she was coerced by a drug syndicate to transport the cocaine. Despite facing unsanitary conditions and overcrowding in prison, Sandiford’s release was secured due to her deteriorating health condition. She will be accompanied by British officials on her journey home, where she looks forward to being with her family and receiving medical attention.
