Death sentence for British grandmother for cocaine smuggling stays

An Indonesian court on Monday upheld the death sentence handed down to a 56-year-old British grandmother found guilty of trafficking cocaine into the resort island of Bali.

A spokesman said the Bali High Court, sitting in the island's capital Denpasar, had confirmed the death sentence given to Lindsay Sandiford in January, which had been a shock verdict after prosecutors recommended 15 years imprisonment.

The court "decided to uphold the decision of the Denpasar district court," said spokesman Makkasau, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

Indonesian police say she was at the centre of a drugs importing ring involving three other Britons after a drugs haul worth $2.4 million was found in her suitcase as she arrived on a flight from Bangkok last May.

She can now appeal to the Supreme Court. If it rejects her initial appeal, she can seek a judicial review of the decision from the same court. After that, only the president can grant her a reprieve.

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