Bali drug smuggling suspects: 'it's a fit up'
The Britons held in Bali on suspicion of smuggling cocaine have spoken exclusively to ITV News, saying: "It's a fit up" and appealing for a "decent lawyer".
Grandmother facing jail abroad
A woman from Teesside is facing 15 years in jail in Bali for her alleged role in a cocaine smuggling ring.
British man jailed by Indonesian court over drug charges
A court in Indonesia has sentenced a British man to four years in jail for possessing drugs. 40-year-old Paul Beales also faced a further charge of selling them.
But because Beales was not considered the main player in the case, he escaped the death penalty.
Beales was arrested in May this year, along with three other Britons - Lindsay Sandiford, Rachel Dougall and Julian Ponder - after authorities found nearly five kilogrammes of cocaine inside the lining of a suitcase which arrived at Bali's Ngurah Rai airport from Bangkok.
But the court cleared him of those charges.
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Brit cleared of drug trafficking in Bali
British man Paul Beales has been cleared of being involved in an alleged international drug trafficking ring in Bali, but was found guilty of possessing hashish, and received a four year jail sentence.
Mr Beales was arrested a part of a sting operation into international drug trafficking in the island, and if convicted, could have faced the death penalty.
After the verdict and sentence was announced yesterday, Mr Beales hugged his legal team, and left the court smiling. His lawyer said he accepted the verdict and would not appeal.
Teesside woman facing jail was "targeted"
Prosecutors in Bali announced today that they will seek a 15 year prison sentence for British grandmother Lindsay Sandiford, who was arrested earlier this year on drugs charges.
Dr Jennifer Fleetwood, an expert in the drugs trade, recently submitted written testimony to the court to suggest that the 56-year-old grandmother was coerced into smuggling the drugs through fear that her family would be harmed if she did not carry out the smuggling.
– Dr Jennifer Fleetwood“Lindsay Sandiford was subjected to coercion by one or more parties over a period of time.
Lindsay’s vulnerability will have made her an ideal target for drugs traffickers.”
– Harriet McCulloch, Investigator at Reprieve“Lindsay has been through a terrible experience – she was exploited by drug traffickers, who targeted her because of her vulnerability and her fear for the safety of her children. She was interrogated by the Indonesian police without a translator, legal representation or the assistance of the British embassy for 10 days. It would have been unthinkable for the prosecution to demand her execution. We hope that the judges take all of this into consideration when handing down their verdict."
Drug-smuggling woman facing 15 years in jail
A woman from Teesside is facing 15 years in jail in Bali for her alleged role in a cocaine smuggling ring.
Prosecutors have asked for the sentence if 56-year-old Lindsay Sandiford is convicted of smuggling the Class A drugs worth £1.5 million into the resort.
The grandmother, originally from Redcar, was arrested in May when customs officers at Bali's airport allegedly discovered nearly 4 kg of cocaine in her luggage.
Prosecutor Lie Putra Setiawan told the Denpasar District Court that the defendant was guilty of violating Indonesia's strict narcotics law.
Under Indonesia's very strict anti-drugs laws, drug smuggling carries the death sentence.
Sandiford had previously told authorities that she had been coerced into smuggling the drugs through fear that her family would be hurt.