The Postcard
A postcard bearing no publisher's name that was printed in England.
The card was posted in Eastbourne using a 2d. stamp on Monday the 25th. June 1956 to:
Mr. & Mrs. L. Phillips,
26, Causeway,
Chippenham,
Wilts.
The message on the divided back was as follows:
"Just a card from the
'Links' at Eastbourne.
Happy Days.
Jim."
Lindsay Sandiford
So what else happened on the day that Jim posted the card?
Well, the 25th. June 1956 marked the birth of Lindsay Sandiford.
Lindsay June Sandiford is a former legal secretary and convicted drug smuggler from Redcar in North Yorkshire who was sentenced to death in January 2013 by a court in Indonesia after being found guilty of smuggling cocaine into Bali.
Although death is the maximum punishment for drugs-related offences under Indonesian law, the severity of the sentence was greeted with shock because prosecutors had not recommended the death penalty for Sandiford. The ruling was also condemned by the British government and anti-death penalty campaigners.
Sandiford was arrested on the 19th. May 2012 after arriving at the island's Ngurah Rai International Airport on a flight from Bangkok when a routine luggage search uncovered the drugs stash.
Under subsequent police interrogation she claimed to have been coerced into carrying the drugs by a criminal gang that had made threats against her family, and took part in a sting operation to arrest several other individuals she alleged to be part of a drugs trafficking ring.
In December 2012, Lindsay was convicted of drug smuggling at Denpasar District Court and sentenced to death in January 2013. By contrast, the others involved in the case were convicted of lesser drugs-related offences and received custodial sentences.
In Indonesia, the punishment for drug smuggling is brutal and terrifying - death by firing squad. Prisoners can choose to sit or stand while armed soldiers take their shots, aiming for the heart. If a prisoner manages to survive, the commander then shoots them in the head.
Prosecutors had recommended Sandiford should also receive a custodial sentence because of her willingness to cooperate with police, but the panel of judges overseeing the hearing felt that her actions had undermined Indonesia's anti-drugs policy, and concluded there were no mitigating circumstances in her favour.
Sandiford subsequently launched an appeal against the court's decision. She had funded her own defence costs during the initial trial, but had no money for representation at appeal. Funds were subsequently raised to pay for an appeal lawyer, and the appeals procedure began.
In the United Kingdom lawyers applied to seek a judicial review of the government's stance of not providing financial aid for Britons facing criminal proceedings overseas, but their legal challenge was dismissed by judges at the High Court on the grounds that Sandiford had little chance in successfully appealing the sentence.
An appeal arguing the government's position was unlawful was also rejected. The British government submitted a statement to the Court in Bali alleging unlawful behaviour towards Sandiford by officials at the time of her arrest. The High Court in Bali rejected the first stage of Sandiford's appeal in April 2013, upholding the death sentence.
An appeal was subsequently lodged with the country's Supreme Court, but in August this was also rejected.
Background and Arrest
Sandiford worked for many years in management at the Cheltenham-based law firm DTS Legal.
Sandiford was arrested on the 19th. May 2012 after arriving at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok, Thailand, when 4.8 kg (10.6 lb) of cocaine was found in the lining of her suitcase during a routine search.
She claimed to have been forced into carrying the drugs by a gang who had threatened to harm members of her family if she did not comply with their demands.
When informed she could receive the death penalty for drug trafficking, she told police that she had been asked to carry the drugs for Julian Ponder, a British antiques dealer living in Bali, and his partner Rachel Dougall.
Dougall was arrested after a search of the property she shared with Ponder uncovered 48.94 grams (1¾ oz) of cocaine. Sandiford and Ponder were charged with drug trafficking.
Trial and Conviction
In her defence, Sandiford claimed that she had been pressured into carrying the drugs by a gang who had made threats against her children, while her lawyers argued she was suffering from mental health problems. In a statement to the court she expressed regret over her involvement:
"I would like to begin by apologising to the Republic
of Indonesia and the Indonesian people for my
involvement.
I would never have become involved in something
like this but the lives of my children were in danger,
and I felt I had to protect them."
Her son gave a statement to the court in which he said he believed she was forced to carry the drugs following a disagreement over rent money she had paid on his behalf.
A report by Dr. Jennifer Fleetwood, a lecturer in criminology at the University of Kent and expert on women in the international drugs trade, was also presented to the court, suggesting that Sandiford was an ideal target for drug traffickers:
"There is evidence to suggest that a trafficker would
seek someone who was vulnerable. Having reviewed
extracts from Lindsay's medical records I know that
Lindsay has a history of mental health issues. This may
have unfortunately made her an attractive target for
threats, manipulation and coercion."
Sandiford was convicted on the 19th. December 2012, with a recommendation from prosecutors that she be spared the death penalty – the maximum punishment for drug trafficking under Indonesian law – because of her age and cooperation with police, and instead receive a 15-year custodial sentence.
On the same day, Rachel Dougall was found guilty of failing to report a crime. She later received a one year prison sentence.
Julian Ponder was cleared of drug smuggling, but convicted of the possession of narcotics in January 2013, and sentenced to six years' imprisonment.
Sentencing
Sandiford was held at Bali's notorious Kerobokan Prison following her sentence.
Despite the prosecution's recommendation of leniency, at her sentencing hearing on the 22nd. January 2013 a panel of judges ruled that there were no mitigating circumstances in Sandiford's favour, and imposed a death sentence.
Amser Simanjuntak, who headed the panel said Sandiford's actions had damaged Bali's reputation as a tourist destination and undermined Indonesia's fight against drugs, while his colleague, Komang Wijaya Adi said their decision had been influenced by several factors, including what was viewed as her lack of remorse.
In Indonesia an execution is generally carried out by firing squad, often at night in an isolated location. Following the judgment Sandiford was led from the court in a distressed state, where she declined to speak to journalists before being escorted away by guards to be held at Kerobokan Prison. Her lawyers announced she would appeal, a process that can take several years under Indonesian law.
In response to the sentence the British embassy in Indonesia said:
"The United Kingdom remains strongly opposed
to the death penalty in all circumstances."
It went on to say that it was in touch with the UK government to discuss how best to provide Sandiford with legal representation.
In a statement to the House of Commons, Hugo Swire, Minister of State for the Foreign Office expressed his concern about the decision:
"We are aware that Lindsay Sandiford is facing the
death penalty in Indonesia. We strongly object to
the death penalty and continue to provide consular
assistance to Lindsay and her family during this
difficult time."
He also said that Foreign Secretary William Hague had raised the matter with his Indonesian counterpart.
Martin Horwood, MP for Cheltenham, Sandiford's most recent UK residence, expressed his shock at the sentence:
"The days of the death penalty ought to be past.
This is not the way that a country that now values
democracy and human rights should really be
behaving."
The sentence was also condemned by the anti–death penalty charity Reprieve, which has taken up her case. The organisation's Harriet McCulloch said:
"She is clearly not a drug king pin - she has no
money to pay for a lawyer, for the travel costs
of defence witnesses or even for essentials like
food and water.
She has cooperated fully with the Indonesian
authorities but has been sentenced to death
while the gang operating in the UK, Thailand
and Indonesia remain free to target other
vulnerable people."
At the time Sandiford was sentenced to death, no executions had been carried out by Indonesia since 2008.
On the 4th. February 2013, the country's attorney general, Basrief Arief, signalled his intention to resume executions by shortening the length of the appeals process, which he believed had delayed them.
Indonesia resumed executing condemned prisoners on the 15th. March, when a Malawian drug trafficker, Adami Wilson, was executed by firing squad in the early hours of the morning.
Appeal
Sandiford had seven days to lodge an appeal following the sentence. On the 28th. January 2013 Gede Ketut Rantam, registrar of Denpasar District Court in Bali confirmed his office had received an appeal request from Sandiford. She was then given a further fourteen days to file a more detailed appeal. The appellate system of Indonesia has three levels; the High Court, the Supreme Court, and a direct appeal for clemency to the President.
Lindsay's money had been exhausted by legal costs during her trial, and consular staff identified an Indonesian lawyer who was willing to represent her on a pro bono basis at appeal, but who required expenses of £2,500 to travel to Bali. On the 1st. February 2013 Teesside's Evening Gazette reported that £3,500 had been collectively pledged by donors to online donation sites Justgiving and Indiegogo to pay for her legal fees.
On the 4th. February the Gazette reported that the money had been used to hire a lawyer, while a Reprieve official was working in Bali to help file the appeal. Sandiford's lawyer, Fadillah Agus, lodged an appeal with the Indonesian High Court on the 11th. February. He argued that Sandiford's sentence did not take into account her cooperation with police.
In February 2013 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office submitted an amicus curiae to Denpasar District Court alleging that police had used sleep deprivation on Sandiford and threatened her with a firearm following her arrest, and consequently:
"... violated Lindsay Sandiford's fundamental
rights under international laws and the
Indonesian constitution".
The document also argued that her punishment was disproportionate to the crime she had committed, and did not take into account her cooperation with the authorities. The British consulate in Bali also submitted a statement to the court expressing the country's objection to the death penalty.
Bali's High Court announced on the 8th. April 2013 that Sandiford's appeal had been denied, and that her conviction and death sentence were upheld. The Court ruled that the original sentence was "accurate and correct," and gave her 14 days to lodge an appeal with the Indonesian Supreme Court.
Agus announced on the 19th. April 2013 that an appeal would be lodged within the next few days. On the 23rd. April, notice was given by Sandiford's lawyer to the Supreme Court that she would challenge the sentence.
On the 7th. May 2013, Sandiford appealed against her sentence to the Indonesian Supreme Court. However on the 30th. August, the Supreme Court rejected her appeal. Sandiford was able to lodge a judicial review if new evidence is presented, or if there was negligence in the case.
Sandiford applied for a presidential pardon in December 2014. In 2015 she recruited Indonesian lawyers for an attempt to seek a retrial on her behalf.
No date had been set for her execution as of August 2017. In February 2018 she was still in Kerobokan Prison in Bali.
UK Government Legal Challenge
On the day Sandiford lodged her preliminary appeal, the London-based law firm Leigh Day which is working with Reprieve on her behalf said that it would seek a judicial review of the UK government's position that it does not provide funds for the legal representation of British nationals facing criminal proceedings overseas.
Reprieve stated that by not providing Sandiford, a British citizen, with financial help to cover her legal costs the government had breached its obligations towards her. The legal challenge was heard at the High Court before Mrs. Justice Gloster and Mrs. Justice Nicola Davies on the 31st. January, but the case was dismissed.
The judges ruled that Sandiford had no reasonable prospect of success, a conclusion that attracted criticism from anti–death penalty campaigners.
Sandiford appealed against this decision, but it was again rejected at the High Court in April 2013, by a three-judge panel, chaired by Master of the Rolls Lord Dyson.
By then Sandiford's first line of appeal against her death sentence had been rejected, and she required £6,000 towards her legal costs for the next stage of her appeal.
In his summing up on the 22nd. April Lord Dyson said that it was "most unfortunate" that Sandiford required "relatively speaking a very small sum indeed" for her legal costs. However he went on to say that:
"This cannot affect the principle that we have
had to consider, and it cannot affect our decision.
It may be that other means may be found to secure
the relatively small sum in the course of the next
few days."
The judges published their reasons for rejecting the appeal on the 22nd. May. In the written judgement, Lord Dyson said that Sandiford had argued that the Foreign Secretary's position was "unlawful," but that the High Court had been "right to conclude" it was not:
"As the Secretary of State concedes, it would be
possible to produce a policy under which funds
for legal representation were made available to
British nationals in certain defined circumstances,
but the question is not whether the Secretary of
State could produce a different policy which many
would regard as fairer and more reasonable and
humane than the present policy. It is whether the
policy that he has produced is irrational. I am in no
doubt that the policy is not irrational. It is based on
reasoning which is coherent and which is neither
arbitrary nor perverse."
In a written interview with BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Victoria Derbyshire shortly after the UK appeal was rejected, Sandiford said that the Foreign Office's stance was "tantamount to condoning the death penalty," and claimed she was receiving little support from them:
"The government and FCO are doing all
they can to resist me at this difficult time."
As of May 2022, Lindsay was still on Death Row in Kerobokan Prison.
Pat Boone
Also on the 25th. June 1956, the Number One chart hit record in the UK was, ironically for Lindsay, 'I'll be Home' by Pat Boone.
