British housewife Lindsay Sandiford WILL be executed for drug smuggling in Bali after losing appeal against death sentence



Lindsay Sandiford, 56, was sentenced to death in January by judges in Bali



Grandmother caught smuggling cocaine worth £1.6million from Thailand

Sandiford will be executed by firing squad if her death penalty is upheld

Sandiford has 14 days to appeal to the national Supreme Court

Verdict: British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford has lost her appeal against her death sentence in Bali for drug trafficking

British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford has lost her appeal against her death sentence in Bali for smuggling £1.6 million worth of cocaine in to the Indonesian island.



A spokesman for Bali High Court announced that the court had rejected an appeal from the 56-year-old from Cheltenham.



She was convicted by a district court in January and sentenced to face a firing squad.



The court spokesman said the verdict was decided last week and Sandiford has 14 days to appeal to the national Supreme Court.

Drugs mule Sandiford was caught smuggling cocaine in the lining of a suitcase from Bangkok to the island last year.

She got a death sentence despite taking part in a sting after her arrest which resulted in the arrest and conviction of the smuggling plot’s alleged masterminds, who got lighter sentences.

When the death sentence was first delivered, the judges said Sandiford had damaged the image of Bali as a tourist destination and weakened the government's anti-drugs programme.



As it was read out, there were gasps of surprise in Denpasar District Court as not even the prosecution had been seeking the death penalty.

In her witness statement, Sandiford said: 'I would like to begin by apologising to the Republic of Indonesia and the Indonesian people for my involvement.



'I would never have become involved in something like this but the lives of my children were in danger and I felt I had to protect them.'



During the trial, her lawyer read out a statement from her son which said: 'I love my mother very much and have a very close relationship with her.

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Lindsay Sandiford was caught smuggling cocaine worth £1.6million in her suitcase from Thailand

Death sentence: The court told the grandmother she had shamed Bali's tourism reputation by smuggling cocaine in the lining of her suitcase through the island's international airport 'I know that she would do anything to protect me. I cannot imagine what I would do if she was sentenced to death in relation to these charges.'

Briton Julian Ponder, 43, the plot’s alleged mastermind, was sentenced to six years for possessing cocaine after initial accusations of conspiracy to traffic drugs were reduced.

His partner Rachel Dougall, 38, got one year for failing to report a crime while a third Briton, 40-year-old Paul Beales, jailed for four years for possessing drugs. Sandiford claims she only agreed to carry the cocaine because of death threats to her son and says Ponder, Beale and Dougall organised her smuggling run from Bangkok to Bali. Caught: Sandiford was arrested at Bali's international airport with 10.6lb of cocaine in her possession

The British grandmother is being kept in Kerobokan jail in Bali, Indonesia. A court official confimed his office had received the appeal request from the prison

She is on death row in the Bali’s notorious Kerobokan jail with Dougall, Ponder and Beale and claims to have been subjected to death threats for sneaking on them to police.

Dougall, whose six year-old daughter with Ponder, Kitty, is being cared for by her parents in Brighton, is due to walk free in May after completing her one-year sentence.

The Government has said it is disappointed Sandiford has lost her appeal.



The Foreign Office also reiterated the UK's opposition to the death penalty and said it had repeatedly made representations to the Indonesian government about this case.



A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are disappointed to hear that Lindsay Sandiford's appeal has been refused by the High Court in Bail.



'The UK strongly opposes the death penalty and has repeatedly made representations to the Indonesian government on this matter.



'We will continue to provide consular assistance at this difficult time.'



'King of Bali': Ponder, 43, seen in the grounds of Kerobokan Prison, had previously bragged that he would not receive a death sentence

Jailed: Ponder's partner, 39-year-old Rachel Dougall, was sentenced for her part in the plot, which involved smuggling £1.6million worth of cocaine into Bali

Let-off: Dougall, left, got a one-year sentence for her part in the plot, and Ponder, right, believes his sentence will also be low

The decision follows Foreign Secretary William Hague's earlier plea not to execute the grandmother from Cheltenham.

Last month Mr Hague has sent a strongly-worded appeal to the three judges through the Foreign Office arguing Sandiford’s death penalty is 'unwarranted because it is an excessive punishment'.

The 14-page submission, shown to the Mail on Sunday by a court insider, says the British government has 'serious concerns' over Sandiford’s case.

'The government requests that the court takes into account the violations of Mrs Sandiford’s fundamental rights and decide that in these circumstances the death penalty would not be appropriate,' it says.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has urged Indonesia not to execute drug smuggling grandmother Lindsay Sandiford

'Allegations of mistreatment of Mrs Sandiford during the initial period in detention have been raised. This includes threats with a gun and sleep deprivation.



'The UK government also has serious concerns at the absence of immediate – and prolonged delay of – consular notification. This is all the more concerning given the absence of legal representation and a translator during the period of detention.'

The document – known as an Amicus Brief – says Sandiford’s death penalty should be reduced to a jail term and implies her execution would have diplomatic repercussions.

'Mrs Sandiford is a 56 year old woman. She has two sons and an infant grandchild who would plainly be seriously affected were Mrs Sandiford to be executed,' it says.

'Mrs Sandiford cooperated with the authorities with a view to detaining others who were involved in the drug trafficking.

'The High Court should take into account this cooperation, especially given that the others involved have now been convicted.'

British embassy officials in Indonesia did not learn of Sandiford’s arrest for nearly two weeks after her initial arrest as she cooperated in the drawn-out police sting.

'The (British) government wishes to draw the attention of the court to the allegations of mistreatment by officials when Mrs Sandiford was first detained,' says the document.

'This mistreatment constituted violations of Mrs Sandiford’s fundamental rights under international law and Indonesian constitutional law.

'Mrs Sandiford was also not provided with a lawyer during the period of interrogation and in addition concerns have been raised about the adequacy of Mrs Sandiford’s legal representation during parts of the trial process.'

Criticising the January sentence in the district court in the island capital Denpasar, document argues: 'It is not apparent that the court took account of these considerable mitigating factors when making its decision.



'The fact that the prosecution did not seek the death penalty gives weight to the inappropriateness of the death sentence in Ms Sandiford’s case.'



Human rights organisation Reprieve has previously said it believes there is evidence to show that Sandiford was threatened and coerced into acting as a courier.



Indonesia has an estimated 114 prisoners on death row.



Most of the more than 40 foreigners among them have been convicted of drug crimes, according to a March 2012 report by Australia's Lowy Institute for International Policy.









