Three Britons who faced the death penalty in Bali for allegedly smuggling £300,000 worth of cocaine have been spared.
Couple Lisa Ellen Stocker and Jonathan Christopher Collyer, both 39, and Phineas Ambrose Float, 31, were stopped at Bali’s international airport in February with an alleged 17 packages of cocaine totalling around 994g.
Under Indonesia’s strict drug laws, the trio could have faced the death penalty after being accused of violating Article 131 of Indonesian Narcotic law.
Indonesia has previously handed out severe punishments for drug smuggling, though it has upheld a temporary halt on the death sentence since 2017.
However, due to good behaviour, Presiding Judge Heriyati said he would reduce the trio’s sentence as they had admitted their offences and behaved “politely.”
The three defendants, all from East Sussex, accepted the verdict and will not be filing an appeal.
The time they have served since their arrest in February will count towards their sentence, meaning they are expected to be released early next year.
During the trial which began at the beginning of last month, Stocker admitted to carrying the illicit drugs in Angel Delight packages, claiming she was given them by a friend.
“Jon and I had been to Bali twice carrying packages from [him]. I was shocked after finding out it was cocaine,” she told the court.
Collyer also admitted what they did was “very stupid” and promised not to do it again.
In a statement provided to the BBC at the beginning of the trial, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was “providing consular support to three British nationals detained in Indonesia and [was] in contact with the local authorities.
“The British government’s policy on the death penalty is clear: we oppose it in all circumstances as a matter of principle.”
