British man avoids death penalty after being caught with drugs in Bali
A court on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali sentenced a British man to 10 months in jail on Tuesday for drug offences after a charge that could carry the death penalty was dropped.
Thomas Parker, from Cumbria in northwest England, was arrested on January 21 at a villa near Kuta beach, a popular tourist spot, after he allegedly collected a package containing drugs from a motorcycle taxi driver on a nearby street.
Police officers said Parker was 'acting suspiciously' while he collected the package, according to the court document. He allegedly discarded it in a panic and fled when police approached him. He was traced back to the villa where he was staying and arrested.
A lab test confirmed the package contained slightly over a kilogram (2.326 pounds) of MDMA, the main ingredient in Ecstasy, the document said.
During the police investigation, the 32-year-old electrician was able to prove that he did not order the package. It was sent by a drug dealer friend, identified only as Nicky, whom Parker had known for around two years and spoke to regularly through the Telegram messaging app.
Parker was told someone would pick it up shortly from him, and he was not promised money or anything else by Nicky in return.
Police reduced the initial charge of drug trafficking, which carries a possible death sentence, to the less serious offence of hiding information from authorities after investigators determined that the package was not directly linked to him.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South China Morning Post
18 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Calls grow for removal of Indonesia's health chief as rift with doctors deepens
Indonesia's health minister is facing mounting calls for his removal as his deepening rift with the country's medical professionals risks undermining healthcare reform and weakening the legitimacy of future policies, according to analysts. Criticism of Budi Gunadi Sadikin has surged in recent weeks, with two of the nation's leading medical faculties – at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta and Padjadjaran University in West Java – joining the chorus of discontent. At the centre of the dispute is the health ministry's perceived encroachment into the domain of professional medical bodies, including the reassignment of specialist doctors and the appointment of members to so-called medical collegia – self-regulating organisations that oversee the standards of specialist medical training and practice. Under Indonesia's revised health law, passed in 2023, these collegia were placed under the supervision of the Indonesian Medical Council, which now reports directly to the president. The move was framed as a bid to streamline governance, but many in the medical field view it as political interference. 'We urge the government to re-evaluate health policies that are not pro-people but pro-momentary interests,' Wawan Mulyawan, chairman of the Alumni Association of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Indonesia, said on May 20, as cited by news magazine Tempo. He called on President Prabowo Subianto to consider replacing Budi, 'who clearly has the potential to damage the ecosystem of medical education and reduce the quality of health services'.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- South China Morning Post
Indonesia issues Covid-19 warning over surge in cases in Asia
Several Southeast Asian countries have reported a surge in Covid-19 cases, as regional health officials urged the public and medical institutions to take precautionary measures against the disease. Malaysia , On Saturday, Indonesia 's health ministry warned in a circular that Covid-19 outbreaks were spreading in the region, including in Thailand Singapore and Hong Kong. The dominant Covid-19 variants were XEC and JN.1 in Thailand, LF.7 and NB.1.8 in Singapore, JN.1 in Hong Kong, and XEC in Malaysia, said Murti Utami, the ministry's acting director of disease control. 'However, the infection transmission and the death rate are still relatively low,' she added. The number of Covid-19 cases in Indonesia fell from 28 to three over a week in May, according to a report by the Antara news agency. The health ministry has urged medical institutions to implement timely measures to address the surge in Covid-19 cases across Asia, such as issuing public alerts and putting in place early detection processes. It also advised the public to use masks in crowded areas and seek medical advice for respiratory problems. Thailand recorded 65,880 Covid-19 cases and three deaths in the last week of May, according to a Bangkok Post report citing Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin, who said on Monday that the outbreak was easing from its yearly peak.
RTHK
3 days ago
- RTHK
7 dead after Russian bridge collapses onto railway
7 dead after Russian bridge collapses onto railway Medics stand next to ambulances parked at Kievsky railway station in Moscow as they wait for the arrival of injured passengers following a bridge collapse in the Bryansk region. Photo: AFP At least seven people were killed late on Saturday and dozens injured after a bridge collapsed onto a railway in a Russian region bordering Ukraine, officials said, in an incident the railway operator blamed on "illegal interference". A train travelling from the Russian border town of Klimovo to the capital Moscow was derailed in the incident, authorities said, without giving details. Videos posted on social media showed rescuers working at the site of a large mound of rubble covering what appeared to be a train belonging to national operator Russian Railways, while another showed people shouting in distress. "There are seven dead as a result of the collapse of a bridge onto railway tracks," Aleksandr Bogomaz, the Bryansk region's governor, wrote on Telegram. At least 69 others were injured, including three children, he added. Moscow Railways, a state-owned subsidiary, said a passenger train derailed "between Klimov and Moscow due to the collapse of a road bridge span, as a result of illegal interference in the operation of transport". The incident happened at night between Pilshino and Vygonichi stations in the Bryansk region, the railway operator said on Telegram. The incident did not affect other train traffic, the firm added. In one video posted on social media, someone can be heard screaming as eyewitnesses rush to find help. "How did the bridge collapse? There are children there!" a woman can be heard shouting in the video. Photos published online by Russian authorities showed a collapsed section of the bridge and damaged vehicles, as rescue workers were deployed overnight. The disaster area is around 100 kilometres from the Ukrainian border. (AFP)
