Brighton couple held in Bali - fears they could face firing squad (From The Argus)

Brighton couple held in Bali - fears they could face firing squad

9:53am Wednesday 30th May 2012 in News By Anna Roberts , Crime reporter

A Brighton couple face the death penalty for their alleged involvement in a £1.6 million cocaine smuggling ring in Indonesia.

Rachel Dougall and Julian Ponder, both from the city, were detained in Bali as part of a police sting operation following the arrest of British housewife Lindsay Sandiford.

Their daughter, Kitty, is being cared for by their maid, Ketut Suranchana, and her husband, Dayu Ariani.

The couple will face death by firing squad if found guilty.

Dougall's father Barry lives in Haywards Heath. He said: "It looks like she is in a lot of trouble."

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The Foreign Office said British officials were helping the little girl as well as the arrested Britons.

A spokesman said: "We are aware of the daughter of Rachel Dougall. Consular officials from the consulate in Bali have visited the daughter and will continue to provide consular assistance."

Earlier Ms Dougall pleaded for help from behind bars, claiming she was the victim of a "fit-up".

Her arrest came after British housewife Lindsay Sandiford, 55, was allegedly caught with 4.8kg of cocaine stuffed in the lining of a suitcase as she arrived in Bali.

She agreed to take part in a sting operation in which police swooped on four other suspects after her arrest last week - the three other Britons and an Indian man.

Ms Dougall and Mr Ponder were filmed by ITV News as they were taken by police for questioning.

Ms Dougall later shouted through the bars of her cell at Bali police headquarters: "It's a fit-up, get us a decent lawyer."

Customs officials told ITV News that Mrs Sandiford may be spared the death sentence because she helped to catch three other members of the smuggling operation, who could face a firing squad.

Mrs Sandiford, originally from Redcar, Teesside, is thought to have told police she only agreed to make the smuggling trip because her children in England were being threatened.

She was paraded at a press conference alongside the drugs, wearing an orange prison T-shirt and hiding her face from cameras.

Masked, armed officers in Kuta, a town on the holiday island, flanked her as she was brought into the room and a customs official cut open packages wrapped in brown tape to reveal a white powder.

Customs official Made Wijaya said at the press conference: "After weighing, the total cocaine is 4.791kg."

The drugs have an estimated street value of 23.9 billion Indonesian rupiah (£1.6 million), he said.

"This is a big international network," he said. "The charge against them would carry the death penalty."

Another 68g of cocaine, 280g of powdered ecstasy and a small amount of hashish were also seized following the arrest of the other gang members at separate locations in Bali, officials said.