Death Row Grandmother to Return to UK After Avoiding Execution
Lindsay Sandiford is set to board a flight bound for the UK from Bali today after spending 13 years on death row for smuggling cocaine.
Flight Details and Background
The 69-year-old grandmother, a former legal secretary, was sentenced to death in 2013 for smuggling £1.6 million worth of cocaine into Indonesia. She has been given a UK-funded plane ticket costing £600 to leave Bali.
Sandiford will have a short layover before landing at London Heathrow Airport after a 20-hour journey, marking the end of a traumatic period in her life.
Health and Emotional State
"Lindsay is extremely unwell. She is desperate to get home and to be with her family. More than a decade in one of the world's worst prisons has taken its toll on her and she wants nothing more than to get back to the UK."
Departure Process
- Sandiford is scheduled to leave Kerobokan jail this afternoon.
- She will be accompanied by Shahab Shahabadi, a 35-year-old UK national serving a life sentence for drug offenses since 2014.
- They will travel 45 minutes by car to Denpasar International Airport.
- At the airport, they will be handed over to the UK Ambassador Dominic Jermey.
- Both will appear before the media one final time before boarding their flight, accompanied by British officials.
This marks a significant moment for Sandiford, who has endured a long wait for execution and is finally returning home.
Summary: After 13 years on death row in Indonesia, Lindsay Sandiford is finally returning to the UK, fragile in health but eager to reunite with her family and leave a difficult chapter behind.