Accused: Lindsay Sandiford, 56, (pictured) faces execution if found guilty of cocaine smuggling in Bali. She told a court today that the case against her was ‘riddled with inaccuracies’
A British woman facing execution in Bali if she is convicted on drugs charges told a court today that the case against her was ‘full of inaccuracies’.
Lindsay Sandiford, 56, from Redcar, Teesside, was arrested with three other Britons by Bali police in May after she arrived at the airport with a suitcase allegedly packed with 4.8kg of cocaine worth £1.6m.
During her brief appearance, in which she was charged with selling or facilitating the sale of illegal narcotics – she insisted that many aspects of the prosecution’s case was wrong.
Mrs Sandiford appeared in court with a scarf over her head in an attempt to keep her face hidden from cameramen who were allowed to be present.
She spoke in English to the three judges, telling them that she would respond to the charges in full at her next hearing, set for October 10.
But the fact that she has already disputed much of the prosecution case suggested to observers that she was determined to put up a fight in her defence.
Because she did not have a lawyer with her, she was told that the court would appoint one for her if she did not find one herself by then.
This was her second appearance without a lawyer.
The court has told her that it will not hear her side of the case until she has appointed one.
When she appeared last week the hearing was immediately postponed because she was not legally represented.
She told the court at the time that she had been asked by police to sign a number of documents.
But because they were all in Indonesian she had refused to put her name to them.
Mrs Sandiford is being held at Bali’s notorious Kerobokan prison.
The prison, which opened more than 30 years ago, contains hundreds of male and female prisoners of various nationalities.
Three other Britons charged as part of the case are also being held at the jail – Rachel Dougall, Julian Ponder and Paul Beales.
While Miss Dougall has yet to appear, she and Mr Ponder are facing a death sentence if convicted.
Mr Beales has been told he is not likely to face execution if convicted but could receive up to 20 years in jail.
Bali is a province of Indonesia – which has some of the toughest anti-drugs laws in the world.
