Death Row Gran to Fly Home to UK After Avoiding Firing Squad
Lindsay Sandiford is set to board a flight from Bali to the UK today after spending 13 years on death row for smuggling cocaine. The frail 69-year-old pensioner has been given a UK-funded £600 plane ticket to leave Bali this afternoon, the Mirror reports.
Sandiford, a former legal secretary sentenced to death in 2013, will have a brief layover before arriving at London Heathrow Airport following a 20-hour journey. This marks the close of a difficult chapter in her life, spent awaiting execution for smuggling £1.6 million worth of cocaine into Indonesia.
"Lindsay is extremely unwell. She is desperate to get home and to be with her family. More than a decade in one of the world's worst prisons has taken its toll on her and she wants nothing more than to get back to the UK."
Sandiford is expected to leave her cell in Kerobokan jail this afternoon along with Shahab Shahabadi, a 35-year-old fellow UK national serving a life sentence for drug offenses after his arrest in June 2014. They will travel by car for 45 minutes to Denpasar International Airport.
At the airport, they will be handed over to the UK Ambassador Dominic Jermey and will be presented to the media one final time before boarding their flight, accompanied by British officials.
Journey Details and Final Formalities
- Flight from Bali to London Heathrow with a brief layover
- Handed over to UK officials at Denpasar International Airport
- Accompanied by British officials throughout departure
- Public appearance before boarding flight
Author's summary: Lindsay Sandiford's long ordeal on death row ends as she leaves Bali for the UK, highlighting the severe toll of her incarceration and her eagerness to reunite with family.