Tale of two Bali drug mules as Angel Delight trio get hope while gran gets death
When a British trio of drug mules were first caught smuggling more than 900 grams of cocaine into Bali in Angel Delight packets, it was feared they could face the firing squad.
In a move that has no doubt shocked and delighted Lisa Stocker, 39, her partner, Jon Collyer, 39, and accomplice Phineas Float, 31, in equal measure, they have instead been sentenced to just one year in jail, meaning they could soon be back on British soil.
The three from East Sussex pleaded guilty to smuggling £300,000 worth of cocaine after they were arrested in Bali's international airport on February 1, following a routine X-Ray bag search. Ten Angel Delight sachets were found stashed in Collyer's luggage, which, combined with seven sachets in Stocker's suitcase, added up to 922 grams of the Class A drug.
Float, who was due to receive the packages, was arrested a few days later. But the lenient outcome is a world away from the sentence handed down to drug mule grandmother Lindsay Sandiford. Sandiford, 69, is locked up in the same hell-hole prison as Stocker, Kerobokan Jail, after being found guilty of similar charges.
Brits who smuggled Angel Delight drugs into Bali to spend just 6 months in jail
Bali death row drug mule nan Lindsay Sandiford in heartbreaking prison reunion
For the past 12 years, the mum of two has been languishing on death row, having been caught trying to smuggle £1.6million worth of cocaine into Indonesia. The former legal secretary from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, claimed she was forced by a UK-based drugs syndicate to smuggle cocaine from Thailand to Bali by threats to the life of one of her two sons in Britain.
Under Indonesia's strict drug laws, s he faces an horrific death by firing squad, whereby prisoners are given the option of sitting or standing before armed soldiers aim for their hearts.
Executions in Indonesia are carried out on an infrequent basis, and inmates can be left waiting on death row for more than a decade. The last executions in Indonesia took place in 2015, and as previously reported by the Mirror, some 130 prisoners, including Sandiford, continue to await their nightmarish fate.
Before their own sentencing, Stocker, Collyer, and Float would have feared a similar outcome. But explaining the uncharacteristically lenient sentence, criminologist and psychologist Alex Iszatt tells The Mirror their nightmare is far from over: "Unlike many foreign drug offenders in Indonesia who face long sentences or even the death penalty, this case is unusual for the relatively light sentencing. The court pointed to their remorse and polite behaviour as mitigating factors."
"But that doesn't make their time behind bars any easier. Jonathan Collyer, Lisa Stocker, and Phineas Float have avoided execution, yes, but their one-year prison sentences will still be brutal – marked by harsh conditions, isolation, and a heavy psychological toll, even for such a short term.
"Foreign inmates sometimes fare slightly better, but basic necessities – clean water, medical care, even a decent place to sleep – are often in short supply. These prisons are nothing like what Brits expect. Physical violence might be less common because of their short sentences, but extortion, intimidation, and psychological pressure remain very real risks.
"Health concerns add another layer of difficulty. Lisa reportedly has pre-existing skin cancer, and Indonesia's prisons have very limited healthcare facilities. These prisons are also hotspots for diseases like tuberculosis and dengue fever, while chronic illnesses often go untreated. The mental strain is severe. After the terror of facing the death penalty, the shock of incarceration, even for a year, can cause intense anxiety and depression. Language barriers and social isolation only make it worse."
Their surprising sentence comes after Bali relaxed its notorious drug smuggling laws, giving Sandiford a ray of hope that she too could one day be reunited with her family.
Indeed, new legislation means Sandiford's death sentence could be converted into a life prison term as she has served more than 10 years behind bars with good behaviour. Indonesia has recently freed other smugglers serving similar sentences as it relaxes its notoriously tough anti-drug laws.
And it's understood that Sandiford is so confident in her chances of walking free, she's started giving away her clothes to fellow inmates.
Earlier this year, a source told the Mirror:"For a long time Lindsay was resigned to her fate, but now she's dreaming of freedom. Foreign Office officials have spent a lot of time visiting her in prison, and they're working hard to secure her freedom."
In recent months, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's administration has moved to repatriate several high-profile drug offenders back to their home countries. This includes Serge Atlaoui, who was returned to France back in February on 'humanitarian grounds' due to illness.
Meanwhile, in February, Pilipino maid Mary Jane Veloso, 40, also tasted freedom for the first time in 15 years after she was found carrying 2.6kg (5.7lb) of heroin at Indonesia's Yogyakarta airport, while five members of the notorious Bali Nine were freed in December despite being convicted of trying to smuggle 8.3kg of heroin out of Indonesia in April 2005.
Now prison insiders say Sandiford is praying for similar treatment and believes she will be spared a trip to Nusa Kambangan, known as "Execution Island". Lawyers could then argue she should be returned to the UK, where she is likely to go free on the basis of time served in Indonesia.
In March 2024, human rights barrister Felicity Gerry KC, who visited Sandiford in 2015, called for her to be returned home to Britain, in light of the legislative changes. She stated: 'Indonesia is taking an important step in recognising the need to commute the sentences of those subject to the death penalty, especially women. Lindsay cooperated with the authorities and explained levels of coercion that should have at least mitigated her position.
'The Government should be taking active steps to facilitate her return to the UK, either to serve a sentence near her family or to consider her release.'
According to data by the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, approximately 530 people, including 96 foreigners, are currently on death row in Indonesia, with the majority locked up for drug-related crimes. Despite having some of the strictest drug laws anywhere in the world, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime says the country is a major drug-smuggling hotspot. This is partly due to international drug gangs targeting the younger population.
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