Lindsay Sandiford, a 69-year-old British grandmother, has returned to the UK after spending 12 years on death row in Indonesia. She arrived at Heathrow Airport on Friday following her release on humanitarian grounds due to severely deteriorating health.
Authorities sentenced Sandiford to death by firing squad in 2013 after discovering cocaine worth £1.6 million in her suitcase upon arrival from Thailand in 2012. The former legal secretary from Redcar, Teesside, admitted to the offences but claimed a drug syndicate coerced her by threatening her family. She spent over a decade in Kerobokan Prison in Bali before her release last month.
Health concerns drive release
An unnamed source told the Mirror: "Lindsay is extremely unwell. She is desperate to get home and be with her family. More than a decade in one of the world's harshest prisons has taken its toll, and she wants nothing more than to return to the UK."
Pastor Christine Buckingham, who visited Sandiford in prison last week, told the Mirror: "She is in extremely poor health and keen to be reunited with her family after these 13 years. She wants to get home and enjoy some creature comforts. The most important thing now is that she receives medical attention, then she hopes to spend as much time as possible with her family."
The UK government funded Sandiford's £600 ticket for the 20-hour flight home. Foreign Office officials worked on the agreement for over 18 months.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper reportedly made personal pleas to Indonesian officials for her release.
Fellow British national Shahab Shahabadi, 35, who served a life sentence for drug offences since 2014, also returned to the UK alongside Sandiford.
Images showed Sandiford in a wheelchair, covering her face as she departed the airport. Indonesia's Deputy Minister for Immigration and Correctional Coordination, I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, stated: "In England, she will remain in prison." The Foreign Office declined to comment on whether Sandiford would face custody in the UK.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
