Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
ABC News
ABC News
National
By Liz Farquhar

Bali Nine drug smuggler 'a nervous wreck' ahead of release from prison

The father of Bali Nine drug smuggler Renae Lawrence has described his daughter as "a nervous wreck" ahead of her release from prison next week.

Lawrence has spent 13 years in Indonesian prisons after being arrested attempting to bring 2.7 kilograms of heroin to Australia from the tourist hotspot.

She will be released on November 21 — but her father Bob Lawrence is worried about the public attention freedom will bring.

"[She's] a nervous wreck," he told the ABC.

"She just wants to come home and live her life in peace."

Mr Lawrence said he was concerned his family could be the subject of intense media scrutiny, similar to when Schapelle Corby — another convicted drug smuggler — was released in May 2017.

Her return to Australia sparked a media frenzy.

Mr Lawrence said his daughter had already paid "a very heavy price for her crime".

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it continued to provide consular assistance to Lawrence.

The 41-year-old was arrested at Denpasar airport in 2005. The heroin was concealed on her body.

Lawrence was initially held at Bali's Kerobokan prison, but was later moved to two different jails.

She will be the first member of the Bali Nine to be released.

Bali Nine ringleaders Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran were executed in 2015 and another member Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen died of cancer earlier this year.

The other five remain in prison serving life sentences.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.