British mother facing death for £1.6m drugs find claims ‘fit-up’

Rachel Dougall could receive the death penalty for the alleged smuggling operation, leaving behind her little girl, Kitty, six.

She is being held in Bali with fellow British nationals Julian Ponder and Paul Beales, the Foreign Office confirmed.

Ms Dougall and Mr Ponder are believed to be partners and Mr Ponder the father of Kitty, who after the arrests was reportedly in the care of the couple’s maid and gardener on the island.

The Foreign Office said British officials were helping the little girl as well as the arrested Britons.

A spokesman said: “We are aware of the daughter of Rachel Dougall. Consular officials from the consulate in Bali have visited the daughter and will continue to provide consular assistance.”

Ms Dougall pleaded for help from behind bars, earlier claiming she was the victim of a “fit-up”.

Her arrest came after Mrs Sandiford, 55, was allegedly caught with 4.8kg of cocaine stuffed in the lining of a suitcase as she arrived in Bali.

She agreed to take part in a sting operation in which police swooped on four other suspects after her arrest last week – the three other Britons and an Indian man.

Ms Dougall and Mr Ponder were filmed by ITV News as they were taken by police for questioning.

Ms Dougall shouted through the bars of her cell at Bali police headquarters: “It’s a fit-up, get us a decent lawyer.”

Customs officials told ITV News Mrs Sandiford may be spared the death sentence because she helped to catch three other members of the smuggling operation, who could face a firing squad.

Mrs Sandiford, originally from Redcar, Teesside, is thought to have told police she only agreed to make the smuggling trip because her children in England were being threatened.

She was paraded at a press conference alongside the drugs on Monday, wearing an orange prison T-shirt.

Masked, armed officers in Kuta, a town on the holiday island, flanked her as she was brought into the room and a customs official cut open packages wrapped in brown tape to reveal a white powder.

Customs official Made Wijaya said at the press conference: “After weighing, the total cocaine is 4.791kg.”

The drugs have an estimated street value of 23.9 billion Indonesian rupiah (£1.6m), he said.0