A BRIT mum facing the death penalty for allegedly smuggling £300,000 of cocaine into Bali has said she “won’t trust people so easily again”.
Lisa Stocker, 39, broke down in tears as she told a court she was conned into carrying illicit packets of the popular Angel Delight dessert into Indonesia by a friend.
EPAAlleged drug smugglers Phineas Float, Jonathan Collyer and Lisa Stocker sit inside the Denpasar district court[/caption]
EPAAn emotional Ms Stocker said she ‘won’t trust people so easily again’[/caption]
EPAThe trio all face the death penalty over an alleged drug smuggling plot[/caption]
Ms Stocker says she had no idea that she was actually transporting 992mg of cocaine inside the 17 packets.
The 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 stopped in Bali after a routine x-ray at the airport alerted officials to the suspicious packages.
The couple first 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.
During one of her initial court hearings Ms Stocker admitted: “I was framed.”
She claimed a friend gave her the packets of Angel Delight in the UK and asked her to take them to Bali.
Ms Stocker said: “Jon and I had been to Bali twice carrying packages from [him]. I was shocked after finding out it was cocaine.”
Today in court she reiterated her feelings as she again said she had no idea that her suitcase was full of narcotics.
She was seen breaking down in tears as she sat in the courtroom in a red and white prison outfit and issued a grovelling apology.
Her husband, Mr Collyer, admitted what they did was “very stupid” as he told Judge Heriyanti: “I won’t do it again.”
Mr Float remained quiet as he sat in court after being involved in a heated shouting match during a previous hearing.
Back in June, while walking to the courtroom for the first day of his trial he yelled at journalist to “f*** off”.
Sentencing for all three is due to take place next week.
They could face the death penalty under Indonesian laws.
Although they are more likely to be hit with decades in prison, according to their lawyer Sheiny Pangkahila.
She suggested, if convicted, her clients could each face prison 15 to 20 years.
But now lead prosecutor Made Dipa Umbara has said the trio could actually avoid any serious time altogether.
He announced thy will ask to “sentence the defendants to one years in prison” each, minus the time already served.
SuppliedThe mum broke down in tears at her last court hearing in June[/caption]
EPAThe three will learn their fate at sentencing next week[/caption]
He noted that all three had behaved well in court, apologised for their role in the smuggling plot and promised not to reoffend.
Meanwhile, across the globe in Georgia, Bella May Culley is battling to avoid a 20-year jail sentence while pregnant.
The 19-year-old from Billingham, County Durham, denies knowingly smuggling cannabis and hashish from Thailand.
She says she was coerced by a brutal trafficking gang who allegedly burned her with an iron and threatened her family with beheading.
Bella claims she was duped into transporting the drugs by the Thailand-based gang – but prosecutors argue CCTV footage shows her calmly passing through Bangkok airport’s gates without raising the alarm.
In Sri Lanka, Charlotte May Lee is behind bars after allegedly attempting to smuggle £1.2million worth of synthetic kush, a highly potent cannabis variant.
The 21-year-old former air stewardess from South London, denies the allegations but was reportedly caught with 46kg of the substance packed into her suitcases.
If convicted, she could be handed a 25-year prison sentence in a country known for its tough anti-drug stance.
And a British couple claiming to be holidaymakers were busted in Valencia, Spain, after allegedly arriving with 33kg of cannabis hidden in their bags.
Police said they were flagged for their “nervous and evasive attitude” and are now in jail facing serious trafficking charges.
Perhaps most shocking of all – a six-year-old British boy was arrested in Mauritius as part of a group caught with a £1.6million cannabis haul.
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.