Death Row Grandmother's Emotional Return
Lindsay Sandiford, the British grandmother who spent 13 years on death row in Bali for drug trafficking, has finally returned to UK soil. The 69-year-old arrived at Heathrow Airport this afternoon following a 20-hour flight from Indonesia via Dubai, completing a journey made possible by a repatriation agreement between the UK and Indonesian governments.
Sandiford appeared frail and covered her face as she was taken through the airport in a wheelchair to waiting transport. Her £600 flight ticket was paid for by the British government, bringing an end to her long ordeal in Kerobokan prison.
Thirteen Years of Captivity and Fear
Sandiford, originally from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, was sentenced to death by firing squad in 2013 after being convicted of trafficking nearly five kilograms of cocaine with a street value of £1.6 million into Bali. The drugs were discovered hidden in a false bottom of her suitcase when she arrived on a flight from Thailand in 2012.
Although the former legal secretary admitted the offences, she maintained that she only agreed to carry the stash after a drug syndicate threatened to kill her son. Human rights group Reprieve stated she had been exploited due to mental health issues.
During her imprisonment, Sandiford faced the constant fear of execution, at one point receiving just 72 hours' notice that she might be put before a firing squad. She had previously spoken about her dread of the "public humiliation" of execution, stating she would have preferred to face her fate without a blindfold while singing Perry Como's 'Magic Moments'.
A Second Chance at Life
The repatriation agreement was signed between Indonesian minister Yusril Mahendra and UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, with Sandiford's release being granted on humanitarian grounds due to her serious illness. She was released alongside fellow British citizen Shahab Shahabadi, who also suffered health problems during detention.
Christie Buckingham, senior pastor at Bayside Church in Melbourne and one of Sandiford's long-term campaigners, expressed profound gratitude for the outcome. "We are deeply grateful for the courageous compassion shown by President Prabowo Subianto and the Indonesian government," she told Metro. "After 13 years, she is keen to be back home with her family. She will forever be grateful for this second chance."
During her years in prison, Sandiford reportedly spent her days knitting clothes and toys for her grandchildren, charities, and church groups. In 2015, she met her two-year-old granddaughter Ayla for the first time in a prison visiting room, fearing it might be the only time she would ever hold her.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been providing support to both British nationals throughout their detention in Indonesia, facilitating their eventual return to British soil and the families they haven't seen freely for over a decade.
