Brits could face death over Bali drugs plot

Phineas Float, Jon Collyer and Lisa Stocker (left to right) are accused of drug offences in Bali

A trial has begun of three British nationals alleged to have been involved with smuggling cocaine disguised as packets of Angel Delight into Indonesia.

Jon Collyer, 38, and Lisa Stocker, 39, were arrested at Bali's international airport in February after being caught with 994g of cocaine, according to Balinese authorities.

The pair appeared in court alongside Phineas Float, 31, who was allegedly due to receive the packages and was arrested a few days later.

All three defendants, who are from Hastings and St Leonards in East Sussex, could face the death penalty – the heaviest punishment for taking part in a drug transaction under Indonesian law.

It is alleged that Mr Collyer and Ms Stocker were caught with 17 packages of cocaine, with a value of roughly £300,000.

The BBC's US partner CBS has quoted the AFP news agency as saying Balinese authorities believe the cocaine was hidden in packets of Angel Delight, a powdered dessert mixture.

The trio were previously paraded before the media in Indonesia

A journalist from the news agency at the court in Bali said a verdict was not expected until a later date.

Indonesia hands out severe punishments for drug smuggling and has previously executed foreigners, but has upheld a temporary halt on the death sentence since 2017.

Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto's administration has moved in recent months to repatriate several high-profile inmates, all sentenced for drug offences, back to their home countries.

Lawyer Sheiny Pangkahila has been working with the defendants since February

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 also took 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.

Speaking exclusively to BBC South East in February, Sheiny Pangkahila, the lawyer representing Mr Collyer, Ms Stocker and Mr Float, said, if convicted, they could each face between 15-20 years in an Indonesian prison.

In a statement, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it was "providing consular support to three British nationals detained in Indonesia and are in contact with the local authorities".

"The British government's policy on the death penalty is clear: we oppose it in all circumstances as a matter of principle."

The trial continues.