Lindsay Sandiford, the British national sentenced to death for drug smuggling in Indonesia, recently received a visit from family members inside Bali’s Kerobokan prison.
The rare meeting, which reportedly included time with her grandchildren, comes as Sandiford grows increasingly hopeful that her sentence may be reduced.
A prison source said the visit, which took place in a more private area than the usual visitation space, was conducted under close supervision but allowed physical contact.
“She was happy and all went well. She met her grandchildren,” the source said. “Normally, these visits are held away from the normal meeting area but still have walls and iron bars with one door. There’s always one or more guards stationed within earshot of the meeting. But she was allowed to hold her family and have cuddles and kisses.”
The visit marked a significant personal moment for Sandiford, who has spent more than 12 years in custody since her arrest in May 2012 at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport. She was convicted of attempting to bring 4.7 kilograms of cocaine into the country and was sentenced to death in 2013.
Lindsay Sandiford, who is on death row for drug smuggling, recently experienced a poignant family visit https://t.co/weHKfjcepA
— The Daily Record (@Daily_Record) April 20, 2025
Legal developments raise prospects of sentence reduction
Now 67, Sandiford has reportedly become more optimistic about the possibility of release or a commuted sentence, amid signs of a broader shift in Indonesia’s stance on drug-related punishments. According to the Mirror, she has recently begun giving away her clothes to other inmates in a gesture interpreted as a sign of her confidence in imminent change.
Under recent legal reforms, death row inmates who have demonstrated good behaviour over a decade may have their sentences commuted to life imprisonment.
Indonesian authorities have recently granted clemency to several high-profile drug convicts, including five members of the so-called Bali Nine, who were released in December after serving more than 18 years in prison.
Filipina Mary Jane Veloso, who had been on death row after her 2010 arrest for smuggling heroin, was also granted freedom in a separate case last year.
A source within Kerobokan prison said Sandiford had for many years accepted the likelihood of execution but is now hopeful that changing policies could offer a path to release.
“For a long time Lindsay was resigned to her fate, but now she’s dreaming of freedom,” the source said.
Ongoing diplomatic support
Sandiford, a former legal secretary from Cheltenham, England, has maintained that she was coerced into smuggling drugs by a criminal syndicate that had threatened her family. Her legal team has argued for leniency on those grounds and continues to advocate for clemency or repatriation.
Representatives from the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office have continued to visit her during her detention, with ongoing diplomatic efforts reportedly focused on securing a commutation or possible return to the UK.
If successful, such a move could see Sandiford avoid execution at Nusa Kambangan, often referred to as “Execution Island,” and potentially serve the remainder of her sentence in the UK, where time already served could influence her legal status.
Sandiford’s case has drawn sustained public interest and diplomatic attention since her sentencing, particularly in the context of Indonesia’s strict anti-narcotics laws and international concerns about capital punishment.
