British death row drug mule gran Lindsay Sandiford is pictured being wheeled out of prison as she prepares to fly home from Bali today after she was spared the firing squad

The grandmother of a British drug mule sentenced to death in Indonesia for more than a decade was filmed being wheeled out of prison today as she prepared to fly home after escaping the firing squad.

Lindsay Sandiford, 69, with her face buried in her hand, was spotted at the handover ceremony at Kerobokan Prison in Bali.

Ministry of Law and Human Rights official I Nyoman Gede Surya Mataram told AFP that the woman left the prison and was transferred to the airport.

Sandiford, who was convicted of smuggling £1.6 million worth of cocaine to Bali, is expected to board a UK-financed flight today following his 13-year prison sentence.

It was reported that the price of his ticket was £600 and he would arrive at London Heathrow after a 20-hour journey.

Officials said former legal secretary Sandiford was seriously unwell, while sources added that Sandiford was desperate to be reunited with her family in Britain.

A source told the Mirror: ‘More than a decade in one of the world’s worst prisons has taken its toll on him and he wants nothing more than to return to the UK.’

Sandiford left the notorious prison this afternoon with another British prisoner, a 35-year-old who is serving a life sentence for drugs offences. Officials also noted that Shahabadi was ill.

The couple were taken to Denpasar International Airport, where they were expected to be handed over to British Ambassador Dominic Jeremy before boarding the plane.

The repatriation comes after Indonesia’s senior law and human rights minister, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, signed an agreement with the British foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, on the transfer of Sandiford and Shahabadi last month.

The grandmother was seen in a wheelchair after being released from prison. It is expected to fly to England today

Lindsay Sandiford buried her face in her hands during the handover ceremony at Kerobokan Prison in Bali

Lindsay Sandiford was held in custody after being sentenced to death in 2013. Last month, it was announced that Indonesia would sign a deal to repatriate him and another British prisoner.

British officials confirmed he was seriously ill and sources in Jakarta said prime minister Keir Starmer and home affairs minister Yvette Cooper had personally appealed for his return.

Foreign Office representatives are believed to have been working on the case for more than 18 months and regularly visited him in prison as his condition deteriorated.

Originally from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Sandiford moved to India in 2012 after losing her home.

That same year, he was arrested in Bali after arriving from Bangkok with a bag containing cocaine.

He initially claimed that he was forced into drug dealing by a UK-based gang who threatened his family.

However, he later recanted his story, admitting that he had agreed to transport the drugs for a British antiques dealer.

His legal team told the court he was forced to sell drugs and suffered mental health problems.

They also alleged that a drug syndicate threatened to kill his son if he did not transport the drugs.

Sentenced to death in 2013, she has since spent years in Kerobokan Prison, where overcrowding, poor sanitation and extreme humidity have made life unbearable.

Both Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper have reportedly personally appealed for his release.

Sandiford’s release follows a deal negotiated last month following long-running diplomatic talks between Indonesia and the UK government

Lindsay Sandiford kicked out of Kerobokan prison after escaping Indonesia’s brutal firing squad

Sandiford knits in her death row cell at the infamous Kerobokan Prison, where she will be released this afternoon

His case sparked great interest in the United Kingdom; The Mail on Sunday published an article he wrote about his sentencing to death. ‘I started writing farewell letters to members of my family.’

He also said he would sing Perry Como’s hit song ‘Magic Moments’ while facing the firing squad.

He wrote: ‘The execution is approaching and I know that I could die at any moment. I could be taken out of my cell tomorrow.

It is said that during her imprisonment she gave knitting lessons for her fellow prisoners and even knitted dresses for her grandchildren in Britain.

His friends later said he became depressed while waiting to learn when he would be killed.

He told the Daily Mail in 2019 that he had decided not to file a last-ditch appeal.

He explained his reason: ‘I really can’t stand asking anyone for help or dealing with another lawyer. I can’t face this. I’ve been burned enough times.

‘I had ten different lawyers. ‘If I had really turned my mind to the legal process I would have been angry, I would have been hurt, and that would have been devastating.’

When asked if he was afraid of the offer to kill him by firing squad, he said: ‘It won’t be hard for me to face it now. It’s not a death I would particularly choose, but I still wouldn’t choose to die in pain from cancer.

Sandiford at his 2013 trial. In an interview with the Daily Mail, he explained that he constantly thought about being executed by firing squad.

He was sentenced to death in 2013 and had to endure horrific prison conditions, including overcrowding and poor hygiene.

She was awaiting execution in Kerobokan Women’s Prison, where she was waiting for the news of her execution.

‘I feel like I can handle this. But when this happens I don’t want my family to come. I don’t want any fuss. The only certainty in life is that no one gets out of there alive.’

He also said that although he constantly thought about execution, he felt “blessed” that his sons were boys and that he had “two beautiful grandchildren.”

Indonesia’s firing squad usually consists of twelve soldiers who shoot at a convicted criminal from a long distance of five to ten metres. Each soldier is instructed to aim for the heart.

It was stated that only three of them used real bullets, while the others fired blanks.

Sandiford’s return to the UK marks the end of one of the longest-running and most publicized drug trafficking cases involving a British national abroad.

News of her return comes after pregnant Bella Culley, 19, arrived in the UK this week after being released from a Georgian prison after being convicted of drug offences.