Minibus crash in Indonesia kills 11 kindergarten teachers
A dump truck crashed into a minibus on a downhill road in Indonesia's Central Java province, killing 11 people, all of them kindergarten teachers, officials said Wednesday.
The truck, loaded with construction materials, collided with the minibus before crashing into a house in Kalijambe village, in Purwerjo district. The minibus was carrying a group of teachers from Magelang district who were attending a funeral in Purworejo district, the local disaster management agency said in a statement.
'The truck allegedly lost control and hit the minibus,' said Andry Agustiano, the Purworejo police chief. He added the police officers immediately opened an investigation.
Several ambulances transported the bodies and other injured victims, including the truck driver and the owner of the house, to a nearby hospital.
Road accidents are common in Indonesia because of poor safety standards and infrastructure.
On Tuesday, a bus carrying 34 passengers sped out of control on and overturned in Indonesia's West Sumatra province, killing at least 12 people.
Last year, a bus carrying 61 students and teachers returning from an outing to a high school in Depok, just outside Jakarta, slammed into cars and motorbikes after its brakes failed, killing 11 students and injuring dozens of others.
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The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
British woman facing 20 years in prison in Indonesia for ‘smuggling cocaine in Angel Delight' insists she was framed
A British woman facing a lengthy jail sentence for allegedly smuggling cocaine into Bali inside Angel Delight sachets has claimed she was set up by a friend. Lisa Ellen Stocker, 39, told a court she was framed after customs officials found suspicious items disguised as food packages in her luggage when she arrived in Bali on 1 February. Officials also discovered similar sachets in luggage belonging to her partner Jonathan Collyer. Last week, prosecutor I Made Dipa Umbara said that lab testing had confirmed that seven sachets of Angel Delight powdered dessert mix discovered in Ms Stocker's luggage and ten sachets found in Mr Collyer's contained a combined 993 grams of cocaine, worth an estimated £272,212. Appearing in court this week, Ms Stocker denied any knowledge of the drugs. "The packages were not mine, but someone else's. I was framed,' she said in court on Wednesday, according to the Daily Mail. The group successfully smuggled cocaine into Bali on two previous occasions before being caught on their third attempt, said Ponco Indriyo, the Deputy Director of the Bali Police Narcotics Unit, during a news conference in Denpasar on 7 February. Speaking in court, Ms Stocker said she had been given the packets of Angel Delight by a man she claimed was a friend in the UK. She alleged the man had asked her to take the packets to Bali. 'Jon and I had been to Bali twice carrying packages from [him]. I was shocked after finding out it was cocaine,' she said, the Daily Mail reported. Mr Collyer said that he had paid for the Bali trip himself, and had not received any payment. '[He] gave me some goods he handed over to his friend in Bali,' he said. '[He] told me the package contained snacks, such as chocolate, pudding and chips.' Mr Collyer said he was told someone would pick the package up in Bali. But the Indonesian prosecutor alleges Mr Collyer was given £2,130 to cover flights and accommodation for the couple. A third Briton, Phineas Ambrose Float, was arrested in a sting operation in which the other two suspects allegedly handed the drug to him in the parking area of a hotel in Denpasar. He is being tried separately. The drugs were brought from England to Indonesia with a transit in the Doha international airport in Qatar, Mr Umbara said. Indonesia has strict laws around drug smuggling, and convictions for smuggling large quantities of drugs have in the past carried the death penalty. Death row prisoners in Indonesia are sometimes executed by firing squad, but there have been no capital punishments in Indonesia since 2017. A lawyer representing the three Britons told the BBC in February that they would each face between 15-20 years in an Indonesian prison if convicted. About 530 people, including 96 foreigners, are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, the latest figures from the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections show. Indonesia's last executions, of an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016. In 2015, two members of the so-called 'Bali nine' group of convicted drug smugglers from Australia were executed by firing squad, after the group were arrested in 2005 attempting to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia. Earlier this year British man Thomas Parker was sentenced to 10 months in prison in Bali for drug offences, after being arrested for collecting a package that contained 1kg of MDMA.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
British woman facing death penalty in Bali for 'smuggling cocaine in Angel Delight packets' tells court 'I was framed'
A British woman facing the death penalty in Bali for allegedly smuggling cocaine in Angel Delight packets told a court 'I was framed'. Lisa Stocker, 39, told Denpasar central court that she was stitched up when she entered the island with £300,000 worth of cocaine disguised as the powdered dessert mix. 'The packages were not mine, but someone else's. I was framed,' she said. The mum-of-three, and her partner, Jon Collyer, 38, both from East Sussex, were arrested at Bali's international airport on February 1. The pair had travelled from the UK through Qatar and were arrested in Bali after a routine X-ray at the airport alerted staff to the suspicious packages. They were pulled to a separate area, where staff found the narcotics sealed in blue plastic 'Angel Delight' sachets in Collyer's luggage. More cocaine was found in seven plastic bags in his partner's suitcase. It is alleged that Collyer and Stocker were caught with 17 packages of cocaine in total, with a value of £296,000. They appeared in court in Bali today alongside Phineas Float, 31, who is accused of receiving the packages in an airport hotel on February 3. Float was arrested following a sting operation set up by police where they used Stocker and Collyer as bait. All three defendants, who are from Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea, could face the death penalty if convicted of serious drugs charges. Convicted drug traffickers, especially those caught with large quantities, have in the past been executed by firing squad in Indonesia - including foreign nationals. If the quantity is large but not enough for the death penalty, life in prison is a common sentence. Sheiny Pangkahila, the lawyer representing the three British defendants, suggested in February that if convicted, her clients could each face prison sentences between 15 to 20 years. Stocker said she had been handed the 17 packets of Angel Delight by a third man who she claimed was a friend in the UK and who instructed her to take the dessert packets to Bali. 'Jon and I had been to Bali twice carrying packages from [him]. I was shocked after finding out it was cocaine,' she said. In his statement to the court, Collyer said he had not received any payment and that he paid for the trip to Bali himself. '[He] gave me some goods he handed over to his friend in Bali. '[He] told me the package contained snacks, such as chocolate, pudding and chips. '[He] said that someone would pick up the package when I arrived in Bali,' Collyer said. However, police prosecutor Made Umbara alleges the man gave Collyer £2,130 to pay for accommodation and flights from the UK to Bali for the couple. Float was seen laughing in front of media when the trio were presented at a press conference in February. While walking to the court room last week for the first day of his trial he yelled at journalist to 'f*** off'. It was reported last week that a verdict in the trial is not expected until a later date. The trio were led into court today handcuffed to prison guards, each wearing red prison vests and white shirts. Stocker, thought to be a mother-of-three, covered her face with a mask before entering the court. Collyer pulled a grey cap down over his face in front of the cameras while Float wore dark sunglasses. The group had their handcuffs removed as they sat down in court. Collyer was pictured putting his arm around Stocker as they stared blankly ahead. Speaking to the Mail last week, family and friends of the three Britons wept as they spoke of their 'horror' at learning of the arrests and the penalty their loved ones could face. Jon's father Julian Collyer said: 'I'm in deep shock, to be honest. I'm very, very worried as any father or parent would be. I'm concerned about the court case and just very worried.' The retired graphic designer, who lives in Rye, East Sussex, said he had spoken to his son from prison in Bali but it was the first time in three weeks they had spoken. One of Stocker's family members, who would not be identified, cried as she told of her fear for her relative. She said: 'She's just a mum. Her kids are going to be desperate without her. It doesn't bear thinking about. I'm so shocked and I can't sleep at night for thinking what might happen to her.' Sobbing, she continued: 'There are some seriously evil people in this world who take advantage of people less fortunate and I think that's what has happened here. I'm in bits. I can't say any more.' Jon's friend Dean, 39, said: 'I'm still in total shock. I didn't even know he and Lisa had gone to Bali. It's an absolute mess and I'm really worried about them both. 'Lisa has got kids, three I think, and what are they going to do if their mum is banged up. I was horrified when I heard about it. It's a nightmare. I can't believe they'd be so stupid to do something like that and I hope they're released soon.' A former neighbour and friend of the Stocker family said: 'I can't believe it. I'm in shock. Gosh, I feel for the family. They were my neighbours for many years and they were nice.' Jeannie, who would not give her surname, said: 'They were a big family but we got on well. Lisa was nice. I can't believe they'd be involved in something like this.' All three defendants, who are from Hastings and St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex, could face the death penalty if convicted The heaviest punishment for taking part in a drug transaction is the death penalty under Indonesian law. However, the Indonesian government has paused the death penalty since 2017 and the country's president Prabowo Subianto has in recent months repatriated several high-profile foreign nationals convicted of drug offences back to their home countries. Frenchman Serge Atlaoui returned to France in February after Jakarta and Paris agreed a deal to repatriate him on 'humanitarian grounds' because he was ill. In December, Indonesia took Filipino national Mary Jane Veloso off death row and returned her to the Philippines. It also sent the five remaining members of the 'Bali Nine' drug ring, who were serving heavy prison sentences, back to Australia. According to Indonesia's Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, 96 foreigners were on death row, all on drug charges, before Veloso's release. Collyer, Stocker and Float are only three of numerous Brits detained overseas on drug charges. Last month a British former flight attendant was accused of smuggling £1.2 million of super-strength cannabis into Sri Lanka. Charlotte May Lee, 21, from Coulsdon, south London, was arrested in Colombo after police discovered 46 kg of 'Kush' - a synthetic strain of cannabis - in her suitcase. She had just arrived in the Sri Lankan capital on a flight from Bangkok in Thailand. She was arrested at Bandaranaike Airport and taken into custody on Monday, May 11. She is facing up to 25 years locked in a hellhole Sri Lankan jail - but she has insisted she has been set up. Flame-haired Papidze (pictured) is the only current inmate serving a full life sentence after smashing her husband Omar Kaphiashvili to death with a sledgehammer as he slept after strangling their five-year-old son, Tornike All the cells in the Georgian prison were said to have smelled 'strongly of human sweat, human excrement, and cigarette smoke,' according to a 2006 report MailOnline spoke to her from her cell where she admitted that she had not been eating because the food was too spicy. She was arrested on the same day as a British teenager was arrested in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi after allegedly arriving from Thailand carrying 14kg of cannabis in her luggage. Bella May Culley, 18, is now facing life in prison in the former Soviet country after being accused of illegally buying, possessing and importing large quantities of narcotics. The youngster from Billingham, Country Durham, was believed to have gone missing in Thailand before she was detained 3,700 miles away at Tbilisi International Airport. Concerns had been raised that the two cases were related as both young women left Bangkok airport on the same day and were arrested in Sri Lanka and Georgia respectively within hours of each other. But Ms Lee told MailOnline she did not know Ms Culley, who has been remanded in custody until her next appearance on July 1.
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Brit mum-of-three facing death penalty in Bali over £300k cocaine found in ‘Angel Delight' bags insists she was FRAMED
A BRIT facing the death penalty accused of trafficking more than £300,000 worth of cocaine into Bali, today told a court: "I was framed." Lisa Stocker, 39, told Denpasar central court that she was fitted up when she entered Bali with 992 grams of cocaine disguised as the popular dessert Angel Delight. 5 5 5 "The packages were not mine, but someone else's. I was framed," she said. Stocker, a mum-of-three, and her partner, Jon Collyer, 39, both from East Sussex, were arrested at Bali's international airport on February 1. They had travelled from the UK through Qatar and were arrested in Bali after a routine x-ray at the airport alerted officials to the suspicious packages. The couple appeared in court with Phineas Float, 31, also of East Sussex, who is accused of receiving the packages in an airport hotel on February 3. Float was arrested following a sting operation set up by police where they used Stocker and Collyer as lures. All three defendants could face death by firing squad if they are found guilty of trafficking the narcotics. Stocker said that she had been given the 17 packets of Angel Delight by a third man who she claimed was a friend in the UK and who instructed her to take the Angel Delight packets to Bali. "Jon and I had been to Bali twice carrying packages from [him]. I was shocked after finding out it was cocaine," she said. In his statement to the court, Jon Collyer said that he had not received any payment and that he paid for the trip to Bali himself. "[He] gave me some goods to be handed over to his friend in Bali. "[He] told me the package contained snacks, such as chocolate, pudding and chips. "[He] said that someone would pick up the package when I arrived in Bali," Collyer said. However, police prosecutor Made Umbara alleges the man gave Collyer £2,130 to pay for accommodation and flights from the UK to Bali for the couple. Float laughed in front of the media when the three were paraded at a press conference in February. While walking to the court room last week for the first day of his trial he yelled at journalist to "f**k off". Why are Brits targeted as drug mules? Growing numbers of Brits are being targeted by drug gangs to smuggle their wares around the world, authorities have claimed. The high profile cases of Brits Bella Culley and Charlotte May Lee - who are being held on drug charges in Georgia and Sri Lanka respectively - have put a spotlight on the issue. Gangs based in Thailand are reportedly luring potential mules with the promise of big payouts and lavish travel breaks in return for carrying drugs back with them. Cannabis is decriminalised in Thailand, which has seen it become so cheap there that gangs have sought to export it at vast profit. One reason cited by authorities for the targeting of Brits specifically is that tourists from the UK have visa free access to Thailand. British and Thai police launched a joint operation last July that laid bare the scale of the gang recruitment drive. Some 800 people, including 50 Brits, have been held in Thailand since then for alleged drug smuggling. But today he was unusually reserved in court. "I took the packages from Jonathan and Lisa after getting a message from [him]. "I wanted to help a friend and did not know it was cocaine, "he told the court. He said that he was shocked that Lisa was involved in any alleged trafficking plot because she "chose to live a healthy life." The trial continues on June 17. 5 5
