A British grandmother sentenced to death for drug smuggling has a chilling final wish as she awaits her brutal execution.
Lindsay Sandiford has spent 11 long years on death row in Bali's Kerobokan Prison, knowing all the while the fate that awaits her at the end of her harsh sentence. Under Indonesia's hardline drug trafficking laws - among the toughest anywhere in the world - those convicted of more serious offences can face life imprisonment or even execution.
There could now be some light on the horizon, with changes to Indonesian law implemented in January meaning the cocaine gran could well face a reprieve. This new legislation means Sandiford may have her death sentence converted into a life prison term given that she has managed more than 10 years’ good behaviour behind bars.
If this comes to pass, lawyers could argue for Sandiford's return to the UK, where she will likely go free on the basis of the lengthy time she's served in Indonesia. In 2012, the 67-year-old was caught with a £1.6 million haul of cocaine in her luggage, while flying from Bangkok to Bali. Although the prosecuted pleaded for her to serve a 15-prison stint, former legal secretary Sandiford, who is originally from Redcar, North Yorkshire2, was ultimately shown no leniency, and sentenced to death by firing squad.
As she looks ahead to this dark punishment, Sandiford, who until recently had given up all hope, is said to now want just one thing, following repeated failed appeals for her life.
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Under Indonesian law, drug trafficking can mean death by firing squad (AP)Speaking with the Mirror back in 2019, fellow Kerobokan inmate Heather Mack, who served 10 years for the murder of her socialite mother, Sheila von Wiese-Mack, shed some light on what Sandiford's life was really like behind bars.
Stating that Sandiford had 'resigned herself to her fate', Mack shared: "I am friends with Lindsay but she has been difficult to speak to recently. She spends all day pretty much alone in her cell and doesn't mix so much with the other prisoners. She snaps at me for no reason but I still make an effort with her. She has said she wants to die."
'Suitcase Killer' Mack, who murdered Sheila at a luxury Bali resort during a 2014 holiday before stuffing her body into a suitcase, claimed drug smuggler Sandiford had become a 'maternal' figure for her and her young daughter, Stella, whom she was permitted to care for in prison until she was two years old.
Bonding through both being English-speaking foreigners, US-born Mack struck up a friendship with Sandiford, but noticed that she became increasingly withdrawn as time went by.
This became especially apparent after Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, two members of a group of Australian drug runners known as the Bali Nine, were taken away suddenly to terrifying offshore prison complex Nusa Kambangan - referred to by inmates as Execution Island.
The execution of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran left Sandiford shaken (AFP/Getty Images)Mack revealed: "Lindsay couldn't believe it when Andrew and Myuran were killed. They were the nicest guys. They would do anything for anyone." Left in a state of shock and constant dread, the reality of the situation she'd found herself in began to dawn on Sandiford - whose own comments suggest she is indeed resigned to her fate.
Opening up to the MailOnline in February 2019, Sandiford admitted: "My attitude is, 'If you want to shoot me, shoot me. Get on with it. It won't be a hard thing for me to face anymore. It's not a death I would choose but then again I wouldn't choose dying in agony from cancer.
"I do feel I can cope with it. But when it happens, I don't want my family to come. I don't want any fuss at all. The one thing certain about life is no one gets out alive."
Sandiford, who is said to seek solitude as much as possible in the crowded prison, also expressed gratitude for having lived to see her two sons grow up and meet her grandchildren.
For Sandiford, death is no longer a 'hard thing' for her to face (AFP/Getty Images)Those executed by firing squad in Indonesia have the choice to either sit or stand as armed soldiers shoot at them, aiming for the heart. Anyone who manages to survive will be shot in the head by the commander.
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Following her arrest, Sandiford initially claimed a British gang who had threatened her son's life had forced her to carry the drugs - only to change her story after learning she was facing the death penalty.
Sandiford then claimed Bali-based British antiques dealer, Julian Ponder, and his partner Rachel Dougall, had asked her to carry the haul - even agreeing to partake in a police sting to catch the pair, as well as a third individual, Paul Beales. After searching Ponder's home, police charged both him and Sandiford with drug trafficking. Dougall and Beales however were slapped with lesser charges, as there wasn't any evidence to link them to the crime.
In court, Sandiford's legal team argued she'd been pressured into carrying the cocaine, and had been suffering from mental health problems - however, no mercy was shown.
It's now hoped that Sandiford could see a reprieve, following changes in Indonesian law (Humphrey Nemar /daily mirror)In what surely must be a boost to Sandiford's morale, British officials recently stepped up trips to see her from just four times a year to much more regular monthly visits. This week, human rights barrister Felicity Gerry KC, who visited Sandiford back in 2015, called for her return to Britain.
She said: “Indonesia is taking an important step in recognising the need to commute the sentences of those subject to the death penalty, especially women. Lindsay co-operated with the authorities and explained levels of coercion that should have at least mitigated her position. The Government should be taking active steps to facilitate her return to the UK, either to serve a sentence near her family or to consider her release.”
An inmate told the Mirror: “There is hope that she can go home. If she can get through to 2025 then she thinks she may be able to avoid the death penalty.”
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