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Family & friends of 3 Brits facing death penalty in £300k Bali coke smuggling plot reveal horror as trio's fate awaits

Family & friends of 3 Brits facing death penalty in £300k Bali coke smuggling plot reveal horror as trio's fate awaits

The Irish Sun14 hours ago

THE family and friends of three Brits facing the death penalty
after being accused of a £300,000 coke smuggling plot
have revealed they are in "deep shock".
Jon Collyer, 37, and Lisa Stocker, 39, both of Gillingham,
Kent
, are charged with
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Brits, from left, Float, Jonathan Collyer, and Lisa Stocker are escorted by security officers before the start of their trial
Credit: AP
6
The trio are charged with attempting to smuggle cocaine worth £300k into Bali
Credit: EPA
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The defendants face the three judges who will decide their fate at Denpasar's District Court
Credit: AP
A third Brit, Phineas Float, 31, who was allegedly due to receive the pair, was arrested a few days later.
The three Brits face death by firing squad if they are found guilty of the offence under Indonesia's tough anti-drug laws.
Members of their families and friends have now spoken of their horror over the drug arrests.
Julian Collyer, dad of
Jon
, said: "I'm in deep shock, to be honest.
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"I'm very, very worried as any father or parent would be. I'm concerned about the court case and just very worried."
Speaking to the
A family member of mum Lisa Stocker, who wished to remain anonymous, said her kids "are desperate without her".
She added: "She's just a mum. Her kids are going to be desperate without her.
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"It doesn't bear thinking about. I'm so shocked and I can't sleep at night thinking about what might happen to her."
Stocker and Collyer allegedly brought the drugs into Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport via Doha airport in Qatar.
Brit woman, 21, rotting in Dubai hellhole jail without a shower for a month after being arrested on drugs charges
The pair was arrested at the airport when security officials discovered suspicious items in their suitcase during a random X-ray check.
Police claim airport security seized 994.56g of cocaine in sealed blue plastic Angel Delight packets in Collyer's suitcase.
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Cops allege more cocaine was found in Stocker's bag.
It's claimed Float was expected to meet Collyer and Stocker at the airport.
Collyer and Stocker are being tried together and Float separately, although the trio appeared together in Denpasar earlier this week.
The trio's fate will be decided by three judges, since Indonesia does not have a jury system.
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Float was all smiles as he faced the court in Bal earlier this week.
He told journalists to 'f**k off' as he was led to face drug trafficking charges.
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Float, on the right, told journalists to 'f**k off' as he was led to face drug trafficking charges
Credit: AP
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He hurled abuse at the press while being walked to a holding cell
Credit: EPA
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Collyer and Float were seen grinning at local media during an earlier court appearance
He arrived in a prison van at Bali's Denpasar Central Court with his wrists shackled and wearing a red prison vest over a white shirt.
The Brit hurled abuse at the press while being walked to a holding cell.
Article 113 of Indonesia narcotics law states that anyone who imports or distributes drugs is subject to the death penalty.
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The three have been held in Bali's notorious Kerobokan prison and it has been reported that Float has gotten into fights with other inmates.
Prison authorities threatened him with being thrown into the feared 'rat cell' isolation over an alleged recent brawl with another inmate.
Around 530 people, including 96 foreigners, are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related offences, according to the country's Ministry of Immigration and Corrections.
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‘Fame-hungry' Titan sub boss Stockton Rush ‘wanted to die at world's most famous shipwreck in high-profile disaster'
‘Fame-hungry' Titan sub boss Stockton Rush ‘wanted to die at world's most famous shipwreck in high-profile disaster'

The Irish Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Irish Sun

‘Fame-hungry' Titan sub boss Stockton Rush ‘wanted to die at world's most famous shipwreck in high-profile disaster'

TITAN sub boss Stockton Rush intended to die at the wreck of the Titanic, his friend has claimed. The bombshell allegation suggests the OceanGate CEO wasn't simply chasing deep-sea glory, but allegedly orchestrating a high-profile mission designed to etch himself into Titanic legend. Advertisement 8 Stockton Rush allegedly wanted to die on the doomed 2023 diving expedition, his pal claimed Credit: Becky Kagan Schott 8 The destroyed submersible pictured on the ocean floor in 2023 Credit: AP 8 Veteran sub expert Karl Stanley made the bombshell allegations about his longtime friend in a book Credit: BBC Karl Stanley, a veteran submersible expert and longtime friend of Rush, made the explosive claim in a new book called Submersed: Wonder, Obsession and Murder in the World of Amateur Submarines. He told author Matthew Gavin Frank: 'Rush's ego was so big, he was willing to die and kill to be pivotal to the character of this story. 'He wanted to go [die] at the wreck [of the Titanic]. 'The more high-profile, the better. He didn't just murder four wealthy people and get paid a cool mill to do it — they are all part of the Titanic mythology now.' Advertisement Read more on the Titan Sub According to Stanley, Rush meticulously planned the doomed voyage as a one-way trip. The pal described it as a "death dive" in a "futile" submarine that was never intended to return, Twelve days after the Titan's catastrophic implosion in June 2023, Stanley messaged Frank via WhatsApp, alleging Rush knew exactly what would happen - and intended for it to. The friend further claimed the OceanGate boss deliberately named the sub after the fictional British liner Titan — the ship in the 1898 novella Futility, which famously sank in eerily similar circumstances to the Titanic. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Exclusive Exclusive The implication, according to Stanley, is that this was no coincidence, but allegedly part of a calculated bid to tie himself to maritime legends. 'What's that bang?' Chilling moment sound of doomed Titan sub imploding heard from support ship 8 In Frank's telling, Stanley claimed Rush 'needed to compel more than just his own death, and he needed to knowingly fabricate a 'futile' vessel, costumed in a titanic name, as his murder weapon.' He even described the Titan as a 'mousetrap for billionaires.' Advertisement Asked point-blank if he believed Rush had knowingly killed the other four passengers, Stanley said: 'I know this is what happened.' Those passengers — British billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman, and renowned Titanic expert Paul-Henri Nargeolet — were all killed instantly when the Titan imploded just 1 hour and 45 minutes into its descent. This isn't the first time concerns have been raised about Rush's approach to safety. In 2019, Stanley himself reportedly warned Rush about Advertisement During that mission, Stanley recalled hearing ominous 'gunshot-like' sounds every few minutes — noises he believed were the sub's carbon fiber hull buckling under pressure. 'The sounds we observed yesterday sounded like a flaw/defect… being crushed/damaged,' he wrote in an email to Rush. He urged OceanGate to pause operations until the problem could be investigated. But Rush allegedly dismissed the warnings. Advertisement In an icy reply, he reportedly wrote: 'I value your experience and advice on many things, but not on the assessment of carbon fiber pressure hulls… 'I hope you, of all people, will think twice before expressing opinions on subjects in which you are not fully versed.' 8 The 61-year-old died alongside his four passengers on the doomed 2023 voyage 8 The OceanGate CEO, left, was previously branded a 'psychopath' by his employees Credit: AP Advertisement In response, Stanley painted a chilling picture of what could happen: 'The worst-case scenario of pushing ahead… involves [Triton Submarines CEO] Patrick Lahey and some Russian oligarch tooling around a Russian nesting dolls version of a wreck site in a made-for-TV special, telling his version of how things went wrong. 'I hope you see option B as unacceptable as I do.' The boss of the ill-fated submersible was also He had reportedly dismissed safety concerns raised by his team, accusing critics of stifling innovation. Advertisement Veteran Titanic expedition leader Rob McCallum, who 8 The OceanGate expedition killed all five people on board after the sub dramatically imploded 8 McCallum said he repeatedly warned OceanGate that the Titan was unsafe. Advertisement The sub had never been certified or classed, and McCallum urged Rush to allow independent testing — advice he claims was ignored. He said: 'I run an expedition company that had delivered over 1,500 expeditions — we are not cavalier, we manage risk as far as we can. 'So when OceanGate say things like exploration involves risk, yes it does, but that doesn't give you carte blanche to ignore obvious danger.' Rush, for his part, reportedly accused those voicing safety concerns of attempting to block technological progress. Advertisement How the Titan tragedy unfolded By FIVE men plunged beneath the surface of the North Atlantic in a homemade sub in a bid to explore the Titanic wreckage. Four passengers paid £195,000 each to go on the sub, with the fifth member of the trip being a crew member. But what was supposed to be a short trip spiralled into days of agony as the doomed Titan vanished without a trace on June 18, 2023. The daring mission had been months in the making - and almost didn't happen at the hands of harsh weather conditions in Newfoundland, Canada. In a now chilling Facebook post, passenger Hamish Harding wrote: "Due to the worst winter in Newfoundland in 40 years, this mission is likely to be the first and only manned mission to the Titanic in 2023. "A weather window has just opened up and we are going to attempt a dive tomorrow." It would be his final Facebook post. The following morning, he and four others - led by Stockton Rush - began the 12,5000ft descent towards the bottom of the Atlantic. But as it made its way down into the depths, the vessel lost all contact with its mother ship on the surface, the Polar Prince. It sparked a frantic four-day search for signs of life, with the hunt gripping the entire world. There was hope that by some miracle, the crew was alive and desperately waiting to be saved. But that sparked fears rescue teams faced a race against time as the passengers only had a 96-hour oxygen supply when they set out, which would be quickly dwindling. Then, when audio of banging sounds was detected under the water, it inspired hope that the victims were trapped and signalling to be rescued. It heartbreakingly turned out that the banging noises were likely either ocean noises or from other search ships, the US Navy determined. Countries around the world deployed their resources to aid the search, and within days the Odysseus remote-operated vehicle (ROV) was sent down to where the ghostly wreck of the Titanic sits. The plan was for the ROV to hook onto the sub and bring it up 10,000ft, where it would meet another ROV before heading to the surface. But any hopes of a phenomenal rescue were dashed when Odysseus came across a piece of debris from the sub around 1,600ft from the Titanic. The rescue mission tragically turned into a salvage task, and the heartbroken families of those on board were told the devastating news. It was confirmed by the US Coast Guard that the sub had suffered a "catastrophic implosion".

My daughter was murdered & her body set on fire in Qatar  – Brits need to know the truth about ‘expat paradise'
My daughter was murdered & her body set on fire in Qatar  – Brits need to know the truth about ‘expat paradise'

The Irish Sun

time4 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

My daughter was murdered & her body set on fire in Qatar  – Brits need to know the truth about ‘expat paradise'

LAUREN Patterson loved her teaching job in Qatar. She had a great circle of friends, a group of expats who were also living in Qatar , attracted by the glitter, the tax-free salaries and endless sun. Advertisement 10 Lauren Patterson had been living in Qatar for several years working as an English teacher Credit: Dan Jones Images 10 The 24-year-old was killed in October 2013 after a night out Credit: Dan Jones Images 10 Lauren's mum Alison Patterson wants to warn Brits about 'expats paradise' Qatar Credit: Dan Jones Images But after a year or so, 24-year-old Kent , was beginning to feel misgivings about There seemed to be an undercurrent, a hint of a police state. Advertisement She started thinking about leaving but didn't get the chance. One night, she went out with a friend to a hotel popular with British expats. At the end of the evening, Lauren and her friend couldn't find a taxi, so they accepted a lift with two Qatari men whom the expats knew and were on friendly terms with. The pair dropped the friend off first. The full details of what happened will - tragically - never be known. What is known is that Lauren never made it home. Her body was found two days later in the desert. She had been raped and stabbed to death and her body set on fire. Advertisement Badr Hashim Khamis Abdallah Al-Jabr, one of the Qatari men who had offered her a lift, was arrested and sentenced to death the following year for her murder, but this was reduced to manslaughter in 2018 and his sentence changed to 10-and-a-half years in prison. Lauren was killed in October 2013. Her mother, Alison, feels sure he has now been released and is enjoying his freedom. She is desperate to know. So too are Lauren's friends, still in Brit airline worker, 44, 'being tortured in Qatar jail' after being caught in twisted Grindr sting by brutal morality police But being Qatar , with its secretive ways, Alison, 60, has not been able to find out if her daughter's killer is now free. 'It's farcical,' says Alison. 'Our lawyer went to the prison to try to find out if he was there. Advertisement 'He was stopped, they thought he was there to harm him. 'It is quite ridiculous in a way, he's a very well known lawyer. 'Quite a few of Lauren's work colleagues are still out in Qatar and want to know for their peace of mind if he has been released. 'The last time I spoke to our lawyer out there he said he would check but nothing came back. That's what happens every time.' SECRETIVE QATAR Lauren's killer's accomplice, Muhammad Abdullah Hassan Abdul Aziz was sentenced to just three years for helping to dispose of Lauren's body. Advertisement Today, about 20,000 Brits are living in Qatar. 10 Lauren had started thinking about leaving Qatar - but didn't get the chance Credit: Dan Jones Images 10 Lauren's killer's accomplice was sentenced to just three years Credit: Dan Jones Images 10 Many Brits are attracted to Qatar by the tax-free salaries and endless sun Credit: Getty It's glitzy and pristine and highly photogenic - an influencer's dream. Advertisement The Corniche is a waterfront promenade that stretches seven kilometres around the crescent-shaped Doha Bay. There are luxurious hotels such as the Ritz Carlton and Katara Hills, and exclusive private members clubs like The Ned Doha. Qatar is firmly on the map - the new Dubai. Expats live in spacious villas in luxurious complexes with pools and tennis courts . Rent is often subsidised by the employer; the expat schools are well regarded. Job opportunities include positions for teachers, physiotherapists, lab technicians and petroleum engineers. Salaries can be higher, but the real benefit comes from the many employers who give allowances for accommodation and pay for school fees. Advertisement As one expat currently living there puts it: 'Accommodation isn't cheap, but lots of expats usually get a housing allowance that goes towards their accommodation. 'A lot of expats will get subsidized membership of a beach club and quite often schools are paid for, too, or at least a chunk of the fees covered. 'European expats with kids really like life in Qatar because they can afford a maid or a nanny. 'And of course petrol is so cheap - around 6p a litre.' Four or five months before she died, she was looking quite seriously to move jobs to another country. There were things she wasn't comfortable with Alison But under the gloss, there are rules that expats are not so comfortable with. Advertisement Alcohol is available only at licensed hotel restaurants, bars and some clubs in this strict Muslim country and it is illegal to drink alcohol or be drunk in a public place. The introduction of what's been dubbed a 'sin tax' in 2019 saw a big increase in the price of alcohol. 'Restaurants are very expensive, especially ones that serve alcohol,' says the expat. 'Alcohol is very highly taxed at around 150% - whether it's beer , wines or spirits.' The expat adds: 'In areas like education, there is a creeping growth of conservative Islamic principles. Advertisement 'Children have to learn Arabic, which is not a bad thing if you are living in an Arab country, but then there are other problems. 'For example, at the beginning of the current school year, there was a massive backlash after parents of children aged six and above were told their children would have to completely cover their arms and legs. 10 Lauren's mother Alison feels sure her killer has now been released and is enjoying his freedom Credit: Dan Jones Images 10 Alison says Lauren had become uneasy about how things were done in Qatar Credit: Dan Jones Images 'It got to a high level and the British Embassy got involved. Eventually the plans were shelved. Advertisement 'But for the past two or three years, mothers have not been allowed to watch sons in sports competitions and fathers are not allowed to watch daughters. 'At one elite sporting academy, one swimming coach who works with males and females is not allowed to watch girls he is training when they take part in swimming competitions.' The resident adds: 'A couple of years ago, school libraries at expat schools were closed for three to six months, stopping children from accessing books , while they were censored. 'A parent had complained about a children's story book.' Alison, who has two other children and lives with her husband, Kevin, 63, near Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, says Lauren had become uneasy about how things were done in Qatar. Advertisement She loved teaching, having gained her qualification at The Open University after a spell working as a teaching assistant in Luxembourg. But other aspects bothered her. 'Four or five months before she died, she was looking quite seriously to move jobs to another country. 'She was feeling a little bit apprehensive, there were things she wasn't comfortable with. The school was good, she really enjoyed that. It was other things. 'For example, she sent me a picture of two young girls at the airports, they were trying to leave but they were taken away by the police. They probably didn't have the right paperwork. That's what it was like. 'When my mum became seriously ill and was dying, Lauren wanted to come back to see her but she was denied permission by the authorities to leave. There was a process to go through, and they wouldn't let her go. They said there wasn't time to arrange it, it was a petty reason. Advertisement 'In the end, my mum died, and Lauren was able to get back home for the funeral .' NEVER CAME BACK The funeral was held on a Thursday. Lauren flew back to Qatar on the Friday. She'd recently started a new relationship and her boyfriend was due to fly out in a couple of days. When she arrived back at her apartment, a friend came round and suggested they go out for a few drinks. Lauren left her unpacked suitcase on her bed - ready to unpack when she got home later that evening. She never came back. 'Lauren didn't get a chance to text me that she had arrived in Qatar safely and I was immediately concerned when I didn't hear from her,' says Alison. Advertisement 'None of her friends had heard from her. 'Her killer worked in security at the airport, he was seen as a man whom you could trust. 'He actually helped search for Lauren with her friends.' On the Sunday, two falconers who had taken their birds to the desert came across Lauren's body. PARENT'S NIGHTMARE Police secretly staked out and watched Lauren's killer and his accomplice come to the site to check if they'd covered up Lauren's body properly. They were immediately arrested. Advertisement Alison took the call that is every parent's nightmare and was asked to bring Lauren's dental records to Qatar to identify the body. 'Those two knew what they was doing. 'Lauren lived six minutes away, the other girl lived 15 minutes away, but they took the other girl home first 'He said all sorts of things. He said Lauren attacked him, then he said Lauren fell on the knife.' In 2019, six years after Lauren's death, another expat, Advertisement 10 Travel executive Marc Bennett was found hanging in a hotel room in Qatar - but his family back in Britain were adamant he would never have killed himself 10 Twelve years after Lauren's killing, Alison knows she will never have all the answers to questions about her daughter's death Credit: Dan Jones Images On December 24, he was found hanging in a hotel room. The police reportedly said it was suicide; his family back in Britain were adamant he would never have killed himself, and there was no note. In 2017, Marc had been appointed senior vice-president at Discover Qatar, with the role of developing tourism at the 2022 World Cup. After he resigned, he was reportedly arrested and held in a secret detention centre, where he told family he was physically and mentally tortured and told he could not leave the country. Advertisement Qatar Airways reportedly responded by saying Mr Bennett had emailed 'highly confidential documents relating to Qatar Airways to a private email address' and was consequently arrested and the case became a 'police matter'. There remain many unanswered questions. Meanwhile, twelve years after Lauren's killing, Alison knows she will never have all the answers to questions about her daughter's death. She does want to know, though, if her killer is free. 'We have written personally to the Emir but never had a reply. We gave letters to the Qatari embassy but heard nothing. Advertisement 'You don't move on, but you're putting a line under one part of it, you're coming to terms with he's out,' she says.

Putin bombards Ukraine with drone & missile blitz killing at least 3 & injuring 17 after Op Spiderweb ‘revenge' strikes
Putin bombards Ukraine with drone & missile blitz killing at least 3 & injuring 17 after Op Spiderweb ‘revenge' strikes

The Irish Sun

time6 hours ago

  • The Irish Sun

Putin bombards Ukraine with drone & missile blitz killing at least 3 & injuring 17 after Op Spiderweb ‘revenge' strikes

VLADIMIR Putin's forces unleashed their biggest drone assault yet on Ukraine's second largest city - killing at least three and injuring 17 others. Kharkiv was rocked overnight as 48 Russian drones, along with two missiles and four gliding bombs, slammed into residential areas, according to the city's mayor. 3 Smoke billowing from a fire burning in a building after an airstrike in Kharkiv Credit: EPA 3 At least three people were killed and 17 others injured Credit: Getty 3 Firefighters extinguish a fire at a multi-storey residential building following Russian attacks on the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv Credit: AFP 'We have a lot of damage,' Ihor Terekhov said. Three high-rise residential buildings were hit, with dramatic footage showing several storeys of one engulfed in flames. The carnage is a part of a wider Russian revenge blitz that's pummelling cities across Ukraine following its daring Operation Spiderweb. The bold Ukrainian drone raid Ukraine said 117 drones were smuggled into Russia, hidden in wooden cabins on trucks with detachable roofs, and launched remotely near the bases. The operation, 18 months in the making, reportedly destroyed at least 40 aircraft. Moscow has since been hitting back hard. Over the past 48 hours, Most read in The US Sun The Russian defence ministry called it a 'massive' strike in response to what it labelled 'terrorist acts by the Kyiv regime.' More to follow... For the latest news on this story, keep checking back at The U.S. Sun, your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sports news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures, and must-see videos . Like us on Facebook at

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