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A British grandmother who spent more than a decade on death row in Indonesia has finally been released and returned to the UK.
Lindsay Sandiford, 69, was repatriated from Bali on Friday alongside fellow British national Shahab Shahabadi, who had been serving a life sentence for drug offences.
The pair were released on “humanitarian grounds” following an agreement between the British and Indonesian governments.
Sandiford had been facing execution after being sentenced to death in 2013, after allegedly attempting to smuggle kilos of cocaine into the country.
After spending more than 12 years inside Bali's notorious Kerobokan prison, she was finally allowed to return home.
The grandmother was arrested at Denpasar airport in Bali in 2012 after customs officials discovered 4.8kg of cocaine hidden inside the lining of her suitcase.
The drugs were estimated to be worth around £1.6 million at the time, equivalent to roughly $2.1 million in today’s currency, according to BBC News.
Sandiford insisted she had been forced into transporting the drugs by a British criminal gang.
She claimed the gang had threatened to kill one of her two sons if she refused to cooperate with their demands.
Indonesian authorities, however, alleged that Sandiford was involved in an international drug-trafficking network that moved cocaine from countries including Peru, Colombia, and Thailand.
She was subsequently convicted and sentenced to death in 2013.
Indonesia has some of the world's toughest drug laws, with trafficking offences carrying the possibility of the death penalty.
Despite being sentenced to death, Sandiford remained imprisoned for more than 12 years without being executed.
Her eventual release came as part of an agreement between the UK and Indonesia, with both her and Shahabadi being repatriated on humanitarian grounds.
The plane carrying the pair left Bali at around 12.30am on Friday, according to Indonesia's acting deputy for immigration and corrections coordination, I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram.
Sandiford and Shahabadi left prison on Thursday afternoon before making the journey to Denpasar airport.
They were then handed over to British Ambassador Dominic Jermey before beginning their long-awaited journey home.
Sandiford appeared at a press conference at Kerobokan prison before her departure, sitting in a wheelchair and covering her face with her hands. She did not speak to reporters.
British officials said Sandiford's health would be the immediate priority following her return.
Matthew Downing, Britain's deputy ambassador to Indonesia, said: “When they first arrive in the UK, the priority will be about their health.”
He added: “So they'll be going through a health assessment, and any treatment and rehabilitation that they need.”
Downing said Sandiford would be “governed by the law and procedures of the UK”, although he declined to speculate about whether she could face any further legal proceedings.
He also explained that the arrangement with Indonesia was reciprocal, meaning Indonesia could potentially request the return of Indonesian nationals imprisoned in Britain.
No such request has been made so far.
Pastor Christine Buckingham, who visited Sandiford at Kerobokan prison shortly before her release, said the grandmother was in extremely poor health.
Speaking to the Mirror, Buckingham said Sandiford was “in extremely ill health” after spending so many years behind bars.
“She's very keen to get back and be with her family after these 13 years,” the pastor said.
“She wants to get home and enjoy some creature comforts.”
Buckingham said Sandiford's immediate priority would be receiving medical attention once she arrived back in Britain.
“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,” she said.
The Foreign Office had previously confirmed that it was “in close contact with the Indonesian authorities” during negotiations surrounding the pair's repatriation.
