Lindsay Sandiford, the British grandmother who has spent 13 years on death row in Bali for drug smuggling, is set to board a flight to the UK today. The 69-year-old, sentenced to death in 2013, will arrive at London Heathrow after a 20-hour journey with a short layover.
Sandiford is expected to leave Kerobokan jail alongside fellow UK national Shahab Shahabadi, 35, who is serving a life sentence for drug offences. They will be taken by car to Denpasar International Airport, where they will be handed over to UK Ambassador Dominic Jermey, before being paraded before the media and boarding their flight accompanied by British officials.
Sandiford was arrested in May 2012 after arriving in Bali from Bangkok with £1.6 million of cocaine in her luggage. She claimed she was forced to transport the drugs by a criminal gang who threatened her family, and later admitted she had been asked by a British antiques dealer. Despite appeals and the prosecution's request for a 15-year sentence, she was found guilty and given the death penalty.
Her release follows a bilateral agreement struck last month between Indonesia and the UK Government, with officials confirming she is "seriously ill". Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper are said to have made personal pleas for her return. The Foreign Office has been working on the deal for more than 18 months.
Pastor Christine Buckingham, who visited Sandiford last week, said she is "extremely unwell" and keen to be with her family. She will undergo medical checks upon arrival and plans to spend time with relatives. Sandiford, who developed arthritis while sharing a cramped cell, has been described as teaching other inmates to knit and earning the nickname "Grandmother".
The UK Government has not commented on the details of the arrangement, but Sandiford's return marks the end of a lengthy legal battle. Indonesia has not carried out an execution since 2016, and last year relaxed its strict drug trafficking laws.
