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| Paul Beales |
The property developer was arrested alongside grandmother Lindsay Sandiford, who remains on death row and could be executed as soon as January
A British man jailed as part of a drug smuggling syndicate in Bali was last night on his way home to the UK after being freed.
Property developer Paul Beales was incarcerated in Indonesia's notorious and squalid Kerobokan Prison after being arrested in May 2012 alongside three other Brits, including grandmother Lindsay Sandiford - who is now on death row at the same prison - Julian Ponder and Rachel Dougall.
Beales' release comes as fears intensify that Sandiford, 59, a former legal secretary and mum-of-two from Cheltenham, could be one of 14 inmates set to be executed by firing squad as early as January .
She has been refused legal funding by the British government and is preparing to launch a final appeal against her death sentence after raising 50,000 Australian dollars in order to start a "PK"appeal.
Her Indonesian legal team are preparing instructions for experts reports that it is hoped will save her life.
Beales, 43, originally from Milton Keynes, Bucks, had lived in Bali for 15 years up until his arrest.
On his arrest, he was suspected of helping to mastermind the smuggling plot, designed to import 4.8kg cocaine worth £1.6m from Bangkok into Bali.
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| 'Hotel K' : Bali's notorious Kerobokan prison |
He maintained his innocence throughout his trial in December 2012 before he was found guilty of possessing drugs of less than one kilogramme and of selling narcotics of more than five grammes.
Indonesia has some of the toughest drug laws in the world and selling more than five grammes can be punishable by death.
However, prosecutors ruled that Beales was not the main player in the scheme to smuggle more than 10lb of cocaine and so did not demand the death penalty. He was sentenced to four years in jail for drug possession.
Source: Daily Mirror, Patrick Hill, October 13, 2015
