British man jailed after facing death by firing squad over MDMA package

Police found Thomas Parker had no ties to the package (Picture: AP)

An electrician from Cumbria has avoided being sentenced to death after he was initially accused of smuggling a kilo of MDMA into Bali.

Thomas Parker,32,was arrested at a villa on Kuta Beach on January 21 for allegedly trying to push a package filled with 1kg of MDMA.

He initially faced a drug-trafficking charge,which carries the death penalty in Indonesia,but that was dropped and replaced with the less serious offence of hiding information from authorities.

Parker ‘acted suspiciously’ when collecting the package from a motorcycle taxi driver before throwing it and fleeing when police approached,according to court documents.

Police traced him back to the villa,where he was arrested.

He told officers that the package was sent by his friend Nicky,whom he regularly spoke to on Telegram and has known for two years.

The electrician does not plan to appeal the 10-month jail sentence (Picture: AP)

Parker initially refused to collect it but decided to after Nicky reassured him that the delivery was safe.

He was not paid for collecting the parcel and was told someone else would collect it from him later.

The authorities reduced the initial charge of drug trafficking after investigators determined that the package was not directly linked to him.

Prosecutors recommended a one-year prison sentence,but a Denpasar District Court judge decreased it as Parker showed he regretted his actions.

Parker sat in silence as he was sentenced to 10 months today,adding after the sentencing that he does not plan to appeal.

He said: ‘I really,really regret everything that has happened. I am sorry and will follow the judge’s decision.’

Forensic teams found more than a kilo of MDMA in the package (Picture: EPA)

Indonesia has strict anti-drug laws,where convicted traffickers can be executed by a firing squad.

The last executions for drug smuggling,of an Indonesian and three Nigerians,were carried out in July 2016.

Nearly nine in 10 prisoners on death row were found guilty of drug-related offences,according to a report last year by Amnesty International.

According to Indonesia’s Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, 96 foreigners were on death row,all on drug charges,as of November.