Lindsay Sandiford, a 69-year-old British grandmother who spent 13 years on death row in Indonesia, has returned to the UK. The former legal PA from Redcar, Yorkshire, was released from Kerobokan Prison in Bali on humanitarian grounds due to serious illness, following a bilateral agreement between the British and Indonesian governments struck last month. She was sentenced to death by firing squad in 2013 after being caught with 10lb of cocaine worth £1.6 million while flying from Bangkok to Bali.
Sandiford shared a five-by-five-metre cell with four other women in what has been described as one of the worst prisons in the world. Pastor Christine Buckingham, who visited her in jail, told The Mirror: «She is in extremely ill health and she's very keen to get back and be with her family after these 13 years.» Indonesia's deputy minister for immigration and correctional coordination, I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram, told The Mirror that Sandiford will «remain in prison» in England, though the British Foreign Office has not confirmed this claim.
Serious health concerns
An anonymous source told The Mirror that doctors have assessed Sandiford as «very unwell», adding: «She has spent 12 years in one of the worst prisons in the world, and that has taken its toll on her. She's desperate to get home; she's been preparing for months.» Pastor Buckingham emphasized the need for immediate medical attention, stating: «We're deeply grateful to the Indonesian Government and, of course, the British Government for working this out together. [...] She's very unwell. The most important thing is that she gets home. We need her to be checked medically, and then the plan is that she says she will spend as much time as she can with her family.»
Expert warnings on adjustment
Former prison officer Hannah M, with over 15 years of criminal justice experience, warned The Mirror that Sandiford faces significant challenges adapting to UK prisons. «I'd imagine that routines and strict regimes of UK prisons are likely to completely overwhelm her, after years of being in an environment like the one she was in, where her only option was to survive on instinct and strength», she said. Hannah M also cautioned that Sandiford could become an «easy target» in the UK prison system: «I'd be concerned that she's also likely to be seen as a 'celebrity' within prison walls [...] this can lead to bullying, extortion and exploitation - especially with her physical health both being fragile.»
Sandiford has always maintained she was forced by a UK-based drug syndicate to smuggle the drugs, with threats made against one of her sons. In a 2019 interview with MailOnline, she reflected on her situation, saying: «in spite of everything, I feel blessed» and «I have been blessed to live long enough to see my two sons grow up into fine young men and blessed to have been able to meet my two grandchildren.» Her granddaughter was born seven months after her May 2012 arrest.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
