Latest news with #ThomasParker
South China Morning Post
27-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
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.
South China Morning Post
27-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement 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.
Daily Mail
27-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Brit arrested in Bali on drug charges avoids death penalty and is sentenced to 10 months in jail after ‘taking a package of drugs from a taxi driver'
A British man arrested in Bali for allegedly taking a package containing just over a kilogram of MDMA from a taxi driver has avoided the death penalty. Thomas Parker, from Cumbria, was arrested near Kuta beach in January after allegedly collecting a package from a taxi driver at a nearby street. The package contained slightly over a kilogram of MDMA, a party drug and the main ingredient in ecstasy, according to a lab test result cited in court documents. Parker, a 32-year-old electrician by trade, was initially charged with drug trafficking and could have faced the death penalty by firing squad if found guilty. But the trafficking charge was dropped after police investigators determined that the package was not directly linked to him. On Tuesday, the Denpasar District Court reportedly handed him just 10 months for drug possession. Parker repeatedly expressed his remorse in his final plea last week, and asked the panel of three judges to consider his situation and impose a lenient sentence. 'I am very sorry and apologise, I know it was a mistake,' Parker said, 'I promise not to repeat it again, because I really didn't know that (the package) was drugs.' According to the court document obtained by The Associated Press, Parker was noticed 'acting suspiciously' by officers while he was collecting the package. 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 was arrested. But Parker, in court, has maintained that he did not order the package and had initially refused to collect it, doing so only after a friend assured him it was safe and would not endanger him. The package was sent by a drug dealer friend, identified only as Nicky, who 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, his lawyer, Edward Pangkahila said. Parker was not promised money or anything else by Nicky in return, Pangkahila said. During the police investigation, Parker was able to prove that he did not order the package. Authorities reduced the charge from trafficking to the less serious offence of hiding information from authorities. Prosecutors on May 6 sought a one-year prison term for Parker. However, under Indonesian legal system, judges have an important role as legal determinants in a trial. They could seek further charges if applicable laws are unclear or non-existent, meaning that the trafficking charge could be reinstated. Pangkahila said that Parker last met Nicky a year ago when he was on vacation in Thailand. As his friend was a dealer, Parker worried the package was filled with drugs. He panicked when he saw police officers on the street and and was approached by them, Pangkahila said. He was traced back to the 7 Seas Villas in North Kuta, where he was arrested. Police showed the discarded package to Parker, who allegedly admitted it was the package he had received earlier. They claimed they had found a light-brown powder inside later identified as MDMA. Police took the suspect to the narcotics office for processing back in January, and he has been remanded in custody since. The case went unreported until authorities showed a handcuffed Parker at a news conference on March 6. A spokesperson for the Foreign Office previously told MailOnline they were supporting a British man detained in Bali and are in contact with the local authorities. Indonesia has very strict drug laws and convicted traffickers can be executed by a firing squad. About 530 people are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, including 96 foreigners, the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections' data showed. Indonesia's last executions, of an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016.
Sky News
27-05-2025
- General
- Sky News
British man jailed for drug offence in Bali after death penalty charge dropped
A British man has been jailed in Bali for drug offences - and has been spared the death penalty. A court on the Indonesian island sentenced Thomas Parker, from Cumbria, to 10 months in jail on Tuesday. He was spared the death penalty after a charge that could carry the punishment was dropped. Parker was arrested on 21 January at a villa near the popular Bali tourist spot, Kuta beach. Police said Parker was "acting suspiciously" when he collected a package containing drugs from a motorcycle taxi driver. He allegedly discarded the package in a panic and fled the scene when approached by police. The 32-year-old was able to prove that he did not order the package. It was sent by a drug dealer friend, identified only as Nicky, and Parker was told someone would pick it up from him shortly afterwards. The trial, which began at the Denpasar District Court last month, heard Parker initially refused to collect the package but was assured by Nicky that it was safe and would not put him in danger. Indonesia has very strict drug laws and people convicted of drug trafficking can be executed by a firing squad. After police established the package was not directly linked to Parker, the initial charge of drug trafficking was reduced to the lesser offence of hiding information from authorities. The prosecution had sought a year-long prison sentence for Parker, but judges reduced the term as the electrician regretted his actions and had no previous convictions. After the panel of three judges handed down the sentence, Parker said he accepted the verdict and would not be lodging an appeal. "I really, really regret everything that has happened," he said. "I am sorry."
The Independent
27-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
British man sentenced in Bali after facing death penalty over MDMA package
A British man has been sentenced to 10 months in prison in Bali, Indonesia, for drug offences, after facing a charge that could have resulted in the death penalty. Thomas Parker, from Cumbria, was arrested on January 21 at a villa near Kuta beach after he allegedly collected a package containing drugs from a motorcycle taxi driver. According to court documents, police officers said Parker was "acting suspiciously" while collecting the package. When approached by police, he allegedly discarded the package and fled. He was later traced back to his villa and arrested. A lab test confirmed that the package contained just over one kilogram of MDMA, the main ingredient in ecstasy. During the police investigation, the 32-year-old electrician proved that he did not order the package, which was sent by a drug dealer friend named Nicky, whom Parker had known for around two years. 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 offense of hiding information from authorities after investigators determined that the package was not directly linked to him. During the trial, which began last month at the Denpasar District Court, Parker told the court he initially refused to collect the package but agreed to do it after Nicky assured him the package was safe and would not put him in danger. Prosecutors on May 6 sought a one-year prison term for Parker, but the judges said they reduced the penalty because Parker regretted his acts, had not been previously convicted and promised to reform. Parker sat silently as a panel of three judges at Denpasar District Court handed down the punishment. The judges also ordered the time he has already served since he was arrested to be deducted from his sentence, meaning he will be free in several months. After the judges read the sentence, Parker said that he accepted the verdict and will not appeal. Prosecutors must decide whether to accept it within a week. 'I really, really regret everything that has happened,' Parker said. 'I am sorry and will follow the judge's decision.' Indonesia has very strict drug laws and convicted traffickers can be executed by a firing squad. About 530 people are on death row in Indonesia, mostly for drug-related crimes, including 96 foreigners, Ministry of Immigration and Corrections' data showed. Indonesia's last executions, of an Indonesian and three foreigners, were carried out in July 2016.
