British drug mule granny on death row questions God's existence - favors firing squad over life in prison

Published: 2013 April 17 04:08:16 (3376 Views)

A 56-year-old British grandmother convicted of smuggling drugs into Indonesia says she favors a firing squad over rotting away in prison.

"I would rather have the death sentence than a life sentence. I don't want to get old and decrepit in here ... at least a bullet is quick," drug mule Lindsay Sandiford told the Daily Mail at the prison in Bali where she's been locked up since last May.

Sandiford, who was convicted of smuggling $2.5 million worth of cocaine onto the resort island from Thailand, lost an appeal earlier this month to overturn her death sentence.

Prosecutors in the case were initially seeking 15 years in prison for Sandiford, but the Bali High Court shocked many in January when it ruled that Sandiford should be put to death.

She called the process "bizarre and unjust." Now she appears resigned to her final fate, which means she will likely never see her newborn granddaughter in the flesh.

"Sometimes I think 'Let them get on with it,'" said Sandiford, of the Northeast of England. "I have had a lot of fun in my life. I've been to a lot of places, done a lot of things and I've met a lot of interesting people."

Sandiford was nabbed at Bali's airport when 8.4 pounds of cocaine was discovered stuffed inside the lining of her luggage. During the trial, she said she was forced to carry the drugs by a gang that threatened to hurt her two children.

She ended up cooperating with police to help arrest the ringleaders and said she was told she would be put into a witness protection program, which never happened.

"What I did was wrong, and I should be punished for it," she said. "But I cooperated with the police, and I should get the lowest sentence. Legally, morally - any way you look at it, it is just wrong."

Four other defendants connected to the case - three Britons and an Indian - were sentenced to jail terms ranging from one to six years.

Sandiford believes their lawyers were able to pay off officials in return for the lighter sentences — something she didn't have enough money to do.

"We are disappointed to hear Lindsay Sandiford's appeal has been refused by the High Court in Bali," said Adam Rutland, spokesman for the British embassy in Jakarta. "The U.K. strongly opposes the death penalty and has repeatedly made representations to the Indonesian government on this matter."

Indonesia also has very strict anti-drug laws, and most of the 40-plus foreigners on its death row were convicted of drug-related charges.

Sandiford can still seek a judicial review, but it would still take a reprieve from Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to set her free. He's granted clemency to four drug offenders on death row since he took office in 2004.

Being in a prison cell with 13 other women has given Sandiford comfort, she told the Daily Mail, but she's also had plenty of time to think about whether or not God exists.

"My philosophy is that if there is a God, I hope he will know I was a half-decent person who never tried to do anyone any harm," Sandiford said. "If there isn't, I will know I am (half-decent), and that for me is enough."

- Daily Mail

Tags: drug, mule,

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