Liv Bridge
A British grandmother who was sentenced to death in Indonesia more than a decade ago has been allowed to return to the UK, but her time behind bars is hardly up.
Lindsay Sandiford, from the UK, was set to be executed by firing squad in Bali after the pensioner was found to have smuggled five kilos of cocaine worth $2.1 million in her suitcase while traveling from Bangkok, Thailand, back in 2012.
The 69-year-old was convicted of trafficking drugs after she confessed to the offences in 2013, claiming she only agreed to transport the narcotics because a gang threatened to kill her son.
Indonesia, home to some of the world's toughest drug laws, sentenced her to death for the crime.
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For the past 12 years, the grandmother has been locked up on death row in the Kerobokan jail - until now.
In a landmark move, Sandiford has been repatriated along with another British national, Shahab Shahabadi, 36, who had been serving a life sentence for drug smuggling following his arrest in 2014.
Their flight departed for the UK on Thursday (November 6) as part of a bilateral deal following a handover ceremony with the press.
Sandiford could be seen covering her face in the conference while being transported to and from the meeting in a wheelchair.
Now, more than a decade on from her initial arrest, Sandiford is finally back on her home soil, though despite her victorious return, she won't exactly be walking free.
Her 'detention will be moved to the United Kingdom' as part of the deal, an official stated, revealing she still faces some time behind bars.
"For Lindsay and Shahab, after we hand [them] over to the United Kingdom government, [they] are fully responsible for the legal decision that will be given there but still respecting our legal decision," I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram said in a statement, as per The Guardian.
Still, the repatriation comes after Yusril Ihza Mahendra, a senior Indonesian minister on legal affairs, announced that Indonesia and the UK had reached an agreement to release Sandiford on humanitarian grounds.
"Lindsay is old and sick," he explained, adding: "In prison she had good behavior so that was enough reason to satisfy the request from the United Kingdom government that she be returned home and complete her sentence there."
Mahendra further described Sandiford as being 'in poor health', saying she had been 'examined by [Indonesian] doctors as well as by a doctor from the British consulate in Bali'.
"She is seriously ill," he said.
A Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed news of Sandiford's return at the time, Sky News reports, saying: "We are supporting two British Nationals detained in Indonesia and are in close contact with the Indonesian authorities to discuss their return to the UK."
Matthew Downing, Britain’s deputy ambassador to Indonesia, also confirmed the pair were released back to the UK on 'humanitarian grounds' with the priority being around their health when they return.
"So they’ll be going through a health assessment, and any treatment and rehabilitation that they need," he said.
They will also be 'governed by the law and procedures of the UK' government upon their return, Downing added.