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| British Woman Sentenced to Death in Bali Drug Case | British Woman Sentenced to Death in Bali Drug Case |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| JAKARTA — A British woman was sentenced to death Tuesday by an Indonesian court after she was caught smuggling $2.5 million worth of cocaine onto the island of Bali. | |
| The woman, Lindsay June Sandiford, 56, had claimed that she was forced to take the drugs into the country by a gang that had threatened to hurt one of her children. Her death sentence came even though prosecutors had only recommended a 15-year sentence, and television footage shooting Mr. Sandiford, a grandmother, sobbing at word of the verdict. | |
| Investigators said that customs officials found that she brought in 8.4 pounds of cocaine to Bali’s airport, which was hidden in the lining of her travel bag. | Investigators said that customs officials found that she brought in 8.4 pounds of cocaine to Bali’s airport, which was hidden in the lining of her travel bag. |
| Indonesia is known for its tough treatment of people who commit drug offenses and other crimes, having put five foreigners to death in drug cases since 1998, and 40 foreigners are currently on death row for drug and other offenses. | Indonesia is known for its tough treatment of people who commit drug offenses and other crimes, having put five foreigners to death in drug cases since 1998, and 40 foreigners are currently on death row for drug and other offenses. |
| In a statement issued after the sentence was delivered, the British embassy said that “Britain remains strongly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances.” | |
| President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has granted clemency to four prisoners on death row for narcotics crimes. A decision to reduce the sentences of 19 drug convicts last October stirred a public backlash from critics who accused him of softening Indonesia’s anti-drug policy. | |
| “It’s possible that could have influenced the thinking of the judges,” said David McRae, a research fellow at Australia’s Lowy Institute for International Policy, said in an email. “On the other hand, it’s not unheard of for sentences to exceed, even significantly exceed, the prosecutor's sentencing request.” | |
| Ms. Sandiford’s alleged accomplice, Anthony Pounder, also of Britain, is expected to be sentenced Wednesday. | Ms. Sandiford’s alleged accomplice, Anthony Pounder, also of Britain, is expected to be sentenced Wednesday. |
| In handing down its verdict, a judicial panel at the Denpasar District Court found that Ms. Sandiford, by ferrying in the drugs, had damaged the image of Bali as a tourism destination and weakened the government’s drug prevention program. | |
| Douglas Ramage, an analyst with Bower Group Asia, called the sentence fair by Indonesian standards. | |
| “Foreigners and Indonesians alike have been regularly sentenced to the death penalty, so in a sense, Lindsay was not treated appreciably different than others who have come before Indonesian courts on drug trafficking charges,” he said. | |
Gerry Mullany contributed reporting from Hong Kong. |