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British gran on death row for 12 years speaks out for first time after being released - reveals one thing she's looking forward to
The case of British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford has drawn attention around the world. The 69-year-old was arrested in Indonesia in 2012 after police found around 11 pounds of cocaine, worth an estimated £1.6 million, hidden in the lining of her suitcase.
Sandiford, from Redcar, claimed she had been coerced into transporting the drugs after receiving threats from a local gang who said they would kill her son. Despite her explanation, she was sentenced to death in 2013 and spent more than a decade on death row inside Kerobokan Prison in Bali, living under constant threat of execution.
She speaks of a second chance
Following a new agreement between the UK and Indonesian governments, Sandiford will now be returned to Britain along with another British citizen, Shahab Shahabadi. Both are reportedly in poor health.
Speaking through Australian pastor Christie Buckingham, who has supported her throughout her imprisonment, Sandiford expressed gratitude for her release. Buckingham told Metro: "We are deeply grateful for the courageous compassion shown by President Prabowo Subianto and the Indonesian government in their commitment to repatriate Lindsay Sandiford on humanitarian grounds. After 13 years, she is keen to be back home with her family. She will forever be grateful for this second chance."
Kerobokan prison, where Lindsay Sandiford is being held. Credit: Dimas Ardian / Getty Images.
Past statements showed she had given up hope
Sandiford had previously come to terms with her situation and made several public comments about her fate. In 2015, she wrote: "My execution is imminent, and I know I might die at any time now. I could be taken tomorrow from my cell."
Heather Mack, a former inmate who knew Sandiford in prison, said she believed Sandiford was "ready to die" and had even expressed a preference for a firing squad over dying from illness.
Credit: Justice and Fairness for Lindsay Sandiford / Facebook.
A senior Indonesian official, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, said her age, poor health, and good behaviour in prison were key factors in the decision to allow her to return home. He said: "Lindsay is old and sick. In prison she had good behaviour so that was enough reason to satisfy the request from the United Kingdom government that she be returned home and complete her sentence there."
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office confirmed: "We are supporting two British Nationals detained in Indonesia and are in close contact with the Indonesian authorities to discuss their return to the UK."