Convicted Bali drugs smuggler Lindsay Sandiford launches appeal against death penalty
The 56-year-old gran denies allegations of bringing £1.6million of cocaine into country.
The 56-year-old gran denies allegations of bringing £1.6million of cocaine into country.
 |
| Lindsay Sandiford has been sentenced to death for drug trafficking |
Lindsay Sandiford of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was sentenced to death by firing squad by an Indonesian court for bringing £1.6 million of cocaine into the country.
The 56-year-old lost her first appeal against the ruling at the Bali High Court last month but has now launched a second bid to overturn the death penalty at the higher court, pressure group Reprieve said.
Balinese police claim Sandiford was at the centre of a drugs-importing ring involving three other Britons.
She denies the allegations, claiming she was forced to transport the drugs to protect her children, whose safety was at stake.
Sandiford's latest move comes after she lost her appeal over a UK Government refusal to fund her legal challenge.
But she has accrued more than £10,000 from public donations through a fundraising web page.
Sandiford, originally from Redcar, Teesside, was arrested at Bali's airport last May after 4.8kg (10.6lb) of cocaine was found in the lining of her suitcase during a routine customs check.
She was later accused of damaging the image of Bali and received the death sentence following her trial. The penalty was imposed despite prosecutors asking only for a 15-year jail term.
The British Government said it was disappointed when she lost her bid to block the sentence.
Sandiford could seek a judicial review if the Supreme Court rejects her appeal, though this would largely depend on whether new evidence had come to light, human rights campaigners said.
After that, her final resort would be to seek a reprieve granted by the country's president.
Courtesy: Daily Record and Sunday Mail
