Three British nationals have been spared the firing squad in Bali and are reportedly set to be deported after attempting to smuggle cocaine worth £300,000 into the Indonesian holiday island.
Airport Arrest and Angel Delight Concealment
Lisa Stocker, 39, from East Sussex, was arrested with her partner, Jon Collyer, also 39, at Bali's international airport on February 1. Customs officers discovered nearly a kilogram of cocaine hidden inside 17 packets of the powdered dessert Angel Delight during an X-ray scan of their luggage.
The pair, along with a third Briton, Phineas Float, 31, later admitted to drug trafficking in court. Under Indonesia's notoriously harsh narcotics laws, this crime can carry the death sentence by firing squad.
Unexpected Leniency in Denpasar Court
Despite the serious charges, the trio received remarkably lenient sentences. A judge at Denpasar Central Court in July sentenced each defendant to just one year in prison. With time already served since their February arrest, they are expected to be deported and back in the UK by next month.
Prosecutor Made Dipa Umbara had requested the one-year term, citing the defendants' good behaviour in court, their remorse, and their pledges not to reoffend. During proceedings, Mr Collyer told Judge Heriyanti, 'I won't do it again,' while Mr Float called himself 'very stupid' and apologised.
A Staggeringly Small Reward and Claims of Being Set Up
The court heard that Phineas Float had agreed to participate in the smuggling plot for a 'reward' of just 500,000 Indonesian Rupiah, equivalent to approximately £22.50. Meanwhile, Lisa Stocker maintained she was unaware the suitcase and Angel Delight sachets contained narcotics, claiming a friend in the UK had given them to her and that she had been set up.
'Jon and I had been to Bali twice carrying packages from [him]. I was shocked after finding out it was cocaine,' she said. Collyer told the court he had received no payment and had funded the trip himself.
A legal source suggested the three were 'very lucky,' noting that others have faced years in prison or even execution orders for similar crimes. Indonesia has upheld a moratorium on carrying out the death penalty since 2017, though courts continue to issue such sentences.
