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British grandmother sentenced to death for smuggling cocaine in Bali

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Someone could slip a bit of drugs on you, and you wind up in front of a firing squad, or in prison for a 20 years.

No one slips 4800 grams on you, she knew she had it and THEN after getting caught turns rat, wasn't concerned about her kids after she got caught. Cry me ariver b4 you get caught not after. She won't hang but I bet she needed a new pair of knickers after that day in court.

5 ( +5 / -0 )

**Don't do the crime is you can't do the time... She don't get the time... she get the rope....

3 ( +6 / -3 )

Their country, their rules. You buy your ticket, you take your chance. Sometimes you win, but mostly you lose. At least she can be thankful for having lived 56 years. That's a tad bit longer than what an average woman in Britain would have lived till in 1900. Hopefully others will read about this and think twice before taking up drug smuggling.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

“there are no mitigating circumstances”

Ummm... how about she helped you out with a sting operation after being caught, and cooperating fully?

2 ( +5 / -3 )

She wasn't smart for doing this but she did cooperate and helped authorities out...giving her the death penalty is wrong. Drugs are really bad but not worth taking a human life. A country worth staying away from and not worth contributing to their tourism.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Do Balinese junkies get executed?

When they traffic, yes. Usually it's foreigners who fuel demand and supply.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Why is it that people who commit crimes always have some excuse for what they did..Do the Crime -Serve the Time..Unforunately in this case it is DEATH.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2266264/Lindsay-Sandiford-Bali-drug-smuggling-British-grandmother-breaks-Indonesian-court-sentences-death.html#video (best read on this I have seen)

Even Mrs Sandiford’s mother, Audrey, refuses to have anything to do with her. She has lived abroad for many years and has remarried. She asked us not to reveal the place where she now resides. ‘I don’t go to England or have anything to do with Lindsay. I got tired of being a piggy bank and realised I was better off away from them,’ said the 86-year-old last June. She says she did not know Lindsay had been arrested and was ‘absolutely horrified. It’s a complete shock’.

After growing up in Cleveland, she moved to London where she married. She is now separated but has two sons, Lewis, 23, and Eliot, 21.

Hopefully in jail she can finally start taking responsibility for her life and herself. I really don't believe her story, but she seems to be desperate and needed the money.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Wow!!!

If she was forced... She could have taken the drugs to authorities at the airport... Look at how willing she was to help rat/grass on the accomplices, to get out of trouble... And the speed she did it at to save her own behind... Mmm mmm mmm... It doesnt add up. She knew she was taking a risk, but life is like that. She had a 3 million dollar chance, and she took it... She knew the stipulations and was willing to sell her life/freedom for $3 mil. The authorities bought her contract out quick!!! I hope she can keep her life... Let's hope Aso isn't directing the firing squad...

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Sandiford argued that she was forced into transporting the 4.79 kilos of cocaine in order to protect her children whose safety was at stake

The article really doesn't explain this....

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Older people engaged in criminal activity are well experienced at using their age to their nefarious advantage, counting on the general feeling in all societies to be treated with deference and respect given to elders. Such miscreants have a well developed practice at being untruthful (they have long practice), and a practiced ability at mitigating their circumstance by talking their way out, denial, and even loud histrionics and counter accusations. One of the larger drugs seizures accompanied by a couple in the age of 70 plus involved over 60 pounds of hashish in their vehicle being brought into Canada. On my finding the first of several hidden packages, they were both accusatory and loud in claiming that I had planted the drugs, had no right to search even attempted to distract from further searching by threatening to sue and physically attempting to prevent search. Fingerprints on the packages tied them in quite nicely.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

How come these people never learn to not smuggle drugs through Indonesia and other countries like that who will sentence one to the death penalty at the drop of a dime?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

HonestDictator, I think I can answer your questions, these drug mules are FOOLS, they are as dumb as a box full of rocks, so you get folk like this cute, chubby old granny from Yorkshire, going for a bit of holidaze to cheap South East Asian countries and BANG, you are now going to rot in an Asian jail or hang or be put in front of a firing sqad. Howz that??

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Good luck getting future criminals to cooperate with you after showing absolutely no mercy!

It is true. She broke the law and so "deserves" justice and in her case, this is what justice demands by the letter of the law, but she did confess and help catch the bad guys so you would think there would be some consideration of that in the sentencing.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

I wonder if its death by fire squad or death by hanging? Nearly 5 kgs of coke can kill a lot of people and distroy even more lives.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

As in Thailand / Singapore " and apparently Indonesia; in the Airport: " DEATH to Drug Smugglers "; it DOESN'T say: " Unless you are American / Australian / British "...good LUCK with your APPEAL(s), I have NO sympathy for you. How many have they HUNG in Singapore now ?; I was living here in Japan, the LAST time someone from Australia was it ? ; swung...

0 ( +4 / -4 )

“What the defendant has done could tarnish Bali image as a tourism destination,” he added.

Ha. I wouldn't consider visiting Indonesia now. Someone could slip a bit of drugs on you, and you wind up in front of a firing squad, or in prison for a 20 years. What the government is doing is tarnish Bali's image much more than some stupid grannie.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

2.4million dollar worth of drugs...yea granny is gonna hang.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Great to see Indonesia making this person pay the ultimate price for her crime against humanity. Bravo!!!!

Surprised to see 8-year-olds still awake and posting.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Police have said she then helped mount a sting to net three Britons and an Indian on drugs charges.

Diminishes somewhat my initial sympathy.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Will be commuted to life on appeal, then shortened by degrees but she will be in an Indonesian prison for a loooooooong time.

-1 ( +2 / -2 )

State prosecutor Lie Putra Setiawan told reporters that the verdict was "appropriate," explaining that prosecutors had been demanding 15 years because of Sandiford's age.

This "death penalty" sentence is just the court driving home a point to potential smugglers. In that the prosecution only asked for 15 years, it's almost certain her sentence will be reduced on appeal.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

“What the defendant has done could tarnish Bali image as a tourism destination,” he added.

I find what their criminal justice system does, tarnishes the image of Bali far more then what she did.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Great to see Indonesia making this person pay the ultimate price for her crime against humanity. Bravo!!!!

RR

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

This is actually why I sometimes feel paranoid at airports... all those people that bump into you... they could be putting something INTO your pocket/cabin luggage rather than nick it.

As for this woman, yes she was stupid to get into this situation, but as others said she DID help out the police with a sting operation. So in gratitude for that assistance she faces a firing squad (that's how people are executed in Bali according to the BBC). A prison sentence yes, but death is too harsh. Do Balinese junkies get executed?

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Probably another cry for help, but with 10 Yen Man in prison for 1 year -she probably should have gotten a few death sentences. At least in prison she can finally get off drugs, get the health care she needs, and finally forgive herself.

What is even worse is the men taking advantage of this Woman and her family. =Those individuals should be stoned on the spot -publicly.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

She don't get the time... she get the rope....

And death for drugs in Indonesia is well known.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

An absolutely beautiful country and no problems if you aren't an idiot.

Do agree that drugs aren't worth being a human life but thems the rules of the land...

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Don't do the crime is you can't do the time...

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

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