Lawyers prepare final appeal for death sentence grandmother

LAWYERS for a British grandmother facing death by firing squad are preparing her final appeal against execution.
Lindsay Sandiford, in 2012, after her arrest by officers.Lindsay Sandiford, in 2012, after her arrest by officers.
Lindsay Sandiford, in 2012, after her arrest by officers.

Representatives of Lindsay Sandiford, 58, from Cheltenham, but originally from Redcar, in North Yorkshire, said her predicament was dire with the Indonesian authorities apparently preparing to execute nine convicted foreign drug smugglers, including two Australian ringleaders of a heroin-smuggling gang this weekend.

Barrister Craig Tuck said given the circumstances “there may be a need for us to fill the appeal papers soon and start triggering the appeal process.”

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Sandiford, 58, who spent part of her childhood in Bridlington, was found with cocaine estimated to be worth £1.6m as she arrived in Bali on a flight from Bangkok in Thailand in May 2012. She was convicted of trafficking after admitting the offences, but claimed she had been coerced by threats to her son’s life. She co-operated with the police, leading to four arrests.

Supporters say while Sandiford faces the death penalty, syndicate members whom she helped convict received jail terms of one to six years. She lost a previous Supreme Court appeal in 2013.

Mr Tuck said his client “had been to hell and back” and that the court system hadn’t given her a “fair shake.”

“It is fair to say she had some good days and some bad days as anybody would if they were locked up in a jail miles from home potentially facing the firing squad.” He added: “There’s no question she’s a vulnerable person and in the weeks and months to come some of these features will be put out into the public to give a full picture.”

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