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.