DA DA MEANS DEATH

[robpage]

Reprieve—UK Government sued over failure to help death row grandmother Lindsay Sandiford


Lindsay Sandiford, who was last week sentenced to death by firing squad in Indonesia, is suing the Foreign Office over its failure to support her appeal against her death sentence – in breach of its obligations to her as a British Citizen.


Ms Sandiford, a 56-year-old grandmother from Teeside, was arrested on drugs charges in May 2012, having been coerced into carrying a suitcase into the country by criminals who threatened her family. Last week a panel of judges at the district court in Desapar, Bali, sentenced Ms Sandiford to death.


Having exhausted her family’s finances to pay for a trial lawyer, Ms Sandiford now has no money to pay for an appeal – which involves filing a complicated legal document in Indonesian, a language she does not speak, by the 12th February.


Legal action charity Reprieve, along with solicitors Leigh Day & Co, has filed a judicial review on Ms Sandiford’s behalf against the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which argues that:


“In failing to make arrangements for an adequate lawyer to represent the Claimant's interests the Defendant is acting unlawfully, in breach of its obligations as a matter of EU law, to take all reasonable steps to ensure that she (a) does not face the death penalty, (b) is not subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment, (c) is not tortured and (d) receives a fair trial.”


Ms Sandiford was unrepresented at various points throughout her ordeal and although her family eventually raised the money to pay for a trial lawyer he did not speak English and had no capital trial experience. Ms Sandiford is relying on charitable donations to afford even the most basic of provisions like food and water. Ms Sandiford was sentenced to death despite the fact that the prosecution sought a 15 year sentence. Two of her co-defendants were given a 1 year sentence and a 4 year sentence. One co-defendant is expected to be sentenced at the end of the month.


A judge must now decide whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have breached their obligations and must provide Ms Sandiford with adequate legal representation.


Harriet McCulloch, investigator at Reprieve, said: “Everyone knows that capital punishment means that those without the capital get the punishment. Lindsay’s poverty means that she has ended up sentenced to death after a manifestly unfair trial. In November the FCO spent £10,000 restuffing a stuffed snake called Albert. The costs of Lindsay’s pro bono lawyer would amount to a fraction of that. The FCO must take immediate action and ensure that she does not lose the chance to appeal her death sentence.”

[Calvin Kent]

The trouble is there is every likelihood of this going before some off this planet judge with no footing in reality. A precedent here would make us financially responsible for any toe-rag who breaks the law anywhere in the world no matter how tenuous their claim to a British passport. I'm not sure if this is just mischief-making by this outfit or they've spootted the pot at the end of the rainbow.

Regards
Calvin

[Captain Kong]

What right has a Drug Dealer got to sue the Tax Payers of this country. If they want to sue someone then sue the people concerned , Not the Tax Payers, we have done nothing wrong so Why should the Taxes on my miserable Pension be taken and given to Criminals.
How many times has this woman done this trip,? she has been out there for quite a while now, she knows the laws on Drug Trafficking, She flew from Bankok where there is a Death Penalty for doing just that , she knew what it was all about.
How many lives has she ruined by Drug Trafficking?
Now Problem solved.
Brian

[robpage]

Maybe a few addicts should sue her for causing misery !!! or maybe they don't have a human rights lawyer , Cherie Where are You ??????

[John Cassels]

It's time Hanging is brought back in UK.

Maybe not so far as hanging Ron , but for sure the threat of a good public whacking with the birch
would make these *ankers think again.

[happy daze john in oz]

When at the Vindi one of the first things we were told was this,

'You will visit countries with laws and customs very different to ours. If you ignore or break them then you will be punished by the laws of that country, it may well be that the British gov may not be able to assit you'.

We expect visitors to our shores, be it Oz or UK, then if we visit other countries we must also abide by the laws of that land.
If you do not like them then do not go there.

If you do the crime then do the time.

[leratty]

Kevin post 7; I reckon there would almost if not equal No of 'wealthy' druggies out there as there are working class poor, it cuts across all boundaries. I recall on my first job out of uni in Peru a well educated from a comfortably off family, English Geologist went from what we all did in those dim dark days, smoke the weed, listen to the Stones, Who, Kinks, Cream, Jimmy Hendrix et al & swallow the occasional pill on to le big H. This sadly as it along with many other 'hard' drugs were there for all to get hold of there. Now that is not an excuse but just a fact. He was mentally weak + had possibly other problems too, who was to know as they become introverted as it takes hold of them? Well in just over a year he was dead as a Do Do bird in his accommodation one morning. There was nothing any of us could do to keep him off it. Interestingly his parents I was told were never told of his drug addiction, this I found interesting

[Ivan Cloherty]

Well I for one never ever found the need for artificial stimulation by popping pills or smoking weed etc. Had enough wierd sensations, harrowing experiences, narrow escapes and bullets whistling past me without the need of becoming a junk head by inflicting harm on myself. I was never one of the 'all did' brigade thankgod and if I've missed out on something I can only count my blessings.

The occasional drop of G & T, a nice glass of wine sees me through, and off on a months jolly to Tenerife next week where the damnation drugs of vino and dancing will be sufficient for my excitement, mind you when others see my tango they may well think I'm on something!!

[Colin Hawken]

Ivan,a comment on the last 14 words of your post. Having had the good fortune to have met you,I can believe the truth of those words.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Colin, I'll do my best not to ruin your image of me cheers mate