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British grandma who’s been on death row for over a decade has one hobby behind bars

Home> News> Crime

Updated 10:57 5 Nov 2025 GMTPublished 16:41 21 Oct 2024 GMT+1

British grandma who’s been on death row for over a decade has one hobby behind bars

Lindsay Sandiford, who was sentenced to death in Indonesia in 2013, spends her time teaching others how to do her hobby.

Gregory Robinson

Gregory Robinson

A British grandma who has been serving a sentence on death row since 2013 has revealed her hobby.

Lindsay Sandiford is currently incarcerated at the Kerobokan prison in Bali for drug smuggling after she was caught attempting to transport £1.6 million of cocaine into Indonesia from Bangkok.

The prison is supposed to hold 320 prisoners, but has been overcrowded, and in 2017, numbers were at almost 1,300.

Sandiford, who is originally from Cheltenham, claimed she was pressured into carrying the drugs by a gang who had made threats against her children.

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Her lawyers also argued in court she was suffering from mental health problems when she smuggled the drugs.

Lindsay Sandiford has been incarcerated for 11 years. (
SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP via Getty Images)

As she faces death, Sandiford has kept one particular pastime - knitting. She has reportedly taught her cellmates how to craft plush household items, such as teddy bears, jumpers, and shawls, which they donate to churches in Australia.

“She is the grandmother of the prison, the Queen,” Sandiford’s cellmate, whose name was not revealed, told The Mirror.

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"She is the only one who can order steak from the prison cafe. She has it medium-rare, normally once a week.

"Everyone loves her, she teaches people how to knit, she hosts regular classes, and shows them how to look after themselves. No date has been set for the execution. She is scared of dying but she has accepted it.”

Meanwhile, another inmate said: Sandiford is 'aggressively protective of herself'.

Sandiford is awaiting a date for her execution. (Picture: SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP via Getty Images)
Sandiford is awaiting a date for her execution. (Picture: SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP via Getty Images)

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She added: “That’s the way she has learned to cope. She spends 99 percent of her time in her room. They have activities, like nail painting or hair styling, but Lindsay does none of them.

Speaking to the court during her trial, Sandiford expressed regret about the drug smuggling, as she said: "I would like to begin by apologising to the Republic of Indonesia and the Indonesian people for my involvement.

"I would never have become involved in something like this but the lives of my children were in danger and I felt I had to protect them."

Sandiford still hasn't been given a date for her execution.

Featured Image Credit: SONNY TUMBELAKA/AFP/GettyImages

Topics: Crime, News, UK News, World News

Gregory Robinson
Gregory Robinson

Gregory is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, he has worked for both print and online publications and is particularly interested in TV, (pop) music and lifestyle. He loves Madonna, teen dramas from the '90s and prefers tea over coffee.

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