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April 9, 2013

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British granny loses Indonesian appeal

AN Indonesian court yesterday rejected the appeal of a 56-year-old British grandmother sentenced to death for trafficking cocaine into Bali.

A spokesman said the Bali High Court in the island's capital Denpasar upheld the death sentence given to Lindsay Sandiford in January, which had been a shock verdict after prosecutors recommended 15 years imprisonment. The judges ruled the original decision of the Denpasar district court was "accurate and correct," said spokesman Makkasau, adding that Sandiford would be informed of the decision as soon as possible.

Indonesian police say she was at the center of a drugs importing ring involving three other Britons after a drugs haul worth US$2.4 million was found in her suitcase as she arrived on a flight from Bangkok last May.

The high court gave her 14 days to appeal to the Supreme Court starting from the day she is informed of the verdict. If the Supreme Court rejects her appeal, she can seek a judicial review of the decision from the same court. After that, only the president can grant her a reprieve.

Sandiford had argued that she was forced into transporting the 4.79 kilograms of cocaine in order to protect her children whose safety was at stake. But the court ruled that she had not admitted her crime and had damaged Indonesia's stance on drugs as well as Bali's reputation as a tourism destination.





 

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