Indonesia orders death for UK woman found trafficking cocaine

A British woman has been awarded death penalty in Indonesia after being found guilty of drug-trafficking. Lindsay Sandiford, 56, was found with 1.6 lbs (over half kg) of cocaine worth 1.6 million pounds (over $2 million) in the lining of her suitcase last May, Daily Express reported. On Tuesday, she was found guilty of trafficking by the Indonesian court.

Delivering the sentence, a panel headed by Judge Amser Simanjuntak concluded that Sandiford had damaged the image of Bali as a tourist destination and weakened the government's anti-drugs programme. "We found no reason to lighten her sentence," the judge said.

Sandiford earlier claimed being forced into taking the drugs into the country by gangsters who threatened to hurt one of her children. Her lawyers are expected to appeal against the sentence.

A spokeswoman for Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We can confirm that a British national is facing the death penalty in Indonesia."

"We remain in close contact with that national and continue to provide consular assistance...The UK remains strongly opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances."