Final 'Bali Nine' drug suspect on trial
Final 'Bali Nine' drug suspect on trial
Agencies, Denpasar, Bali
The final member of the so-called "Bali Nine", arrested in April for allegedly smuggling heroin, went on trial on Friday on the tourist island and faces the death penalty if convicted.
Prosecutor I Wayan Nasta said 29-year-old Renae Lawrence was caught red-handed at Bali airport with 2.1 kilograms of heroin strapped to her legs and back.
"Lawrence has violated Indonesian law by importing, exporting, distributing, buying and selling heroin in an organized way," he told the Denpasar District Court.
"When arrested, Lawrence had packages of heroin strapped with tape to her thighs and her back," he added.
Lawrence's lawyer Haposan Sihombing admitted the charge but said his client did not deserve the death sentence as she was merely a drug mule.
"My client was caught red-handed but we know in this case she was ordered to carry the drugs by someone else," he said.
Another of Lawrence's lawyers, Ian Apul Girsang, lashed out at the court for trying his client separately from the other four who were arrested at the airport.
"She feels as if she is being victimized," Girsang told reporters after the trial began.
The arrests of the "Bali Nine" sparked controversy in Australia after it emerged that Australian police had tipped off their Indonesian counterparts, even though Canberra opposes the death sentence.
Some critics said they should have been arrested on their return to Australia.
The eight other members of the "Bali Nine" have already appeared in court this week, also facing the death penalty if convicted over the alleged attempt to smuggle a total of 11.2 kilograms of heroin to Australia.
The nine are among several young Australians facing death or long jail terms for alleged involvement in drug smuggling in Indonesia.
Former beauty student Schapelle Corby, 28, was jailed for 20 years in May for smuggling marijuana from Australia to Bali. Her jail term, considered extreme by many back home in Australia, was cut to 15 years on Wednesday but she has filed a second appeal to overturn the sentence.
An Australian model, Michelle Leslie, 24, is also due to face trial in Bali for the illegal possession of two ecstasy tablets following her arrest in August, and could serve up to 15 years in jail if convicted.