A WAR veteran has donated £1,800 of his life savings to help save the life of death-row grandmother Lindsay Sandiford.
The 56-year-old from Cheltenham was convicted of smuggling 4.8kg (10.6lb) of cocaine into Bali last May and has been sentenced to death by firing squad.
To appeal her sentence, her legal team required a minimum of £8,000 but a request for UK-funded legal aid was rejected on Monday.
An online petition was then launched in a bid to raise the funds to mount a defence.
It only reached £6,200, however, and it seemed Sandiford's fate had been sealed.
But that was until a selfless pensioner, Victor Leversha, donated money to cover the shortfall.
The 86-year-old from Bedfordshire said he felt "morally obliged" to help.
He said: "To see her abandoned in this way isn't right. I feel the Government should be the ones helping her but that doesn't seem to have happened.
"I do understand both sides of the argument - I know that the drugs trade is an awful thing.
"But, if I understand the story correctly, she was been coerced into doing this - to do what she had to because her son was being threatened.
"She was doing what any other good mother would do to protect and safeguard her family."
Following her conviction, Sandiford's prosecution recommended a prison sentence of 15 years which was later overruled.
Mr Leversha said he opposed the death sentence.
He voted against the hanging of James Francis Hanratty, who was sentenced to death for murder and hanged at Bedford Gaol on April 4, 1962.
But mr Leversha fears he may have condemned Sandiford to a worse punishment if her death sentence is eventually quashed.
"I voted against hanging when that was going on," he continued. "I didn't think it was right.
"I live by a simple principle that everyone deserves a second chance."
"I do have sympathy for this woman. Everyone gets faced with difficult decisions some time in their life.
"It may be that I have condemned her to a life worse than death in a Bali prison.
"But maybe this could be her resurrection and maybe she will do something good with her life."
The 56-year-old from Cheltenham was convicted of smuggling 4.8kg (10.6lb) of cocaine into Bali last May and has been sentenced to death by firing squad.
To appeal her sentence, her legal team required a minimum of £8,000 but a request for UK-funded legal aid was rejected on Monday.
An online petition was then launched in a bid to raise the funds to mount a defence.
It only reached £6,200, however, and it seemed Sandiford's fate had been sealed.
But that was until a selfless pensioner, Victor Leversha, donated money to cover the shortfall.
The 86-year-old from Bedfordshire said he felt "morally obliged" to help.
He said: "To see her abandoned in this way isn't right. I feel the Government should be the ones helping her but that doesn't seem to have happened.
"I do understand both sides of the argument - I know that the drugs trade is an awful thing.
"But, if I understand the story correctly, she was been coerced into doing this - to do what she had to because her son was being threatened.
"She was doing what any other good mother would do to protect and safeguard her family."
Following her conviction, Sandiford's prosecution recommended a prison sentence of 15 years which was later overruled.
Mr Leversha said he opposed the death sentence.
He voted against the hanging of James Francis Hanratty, who was sentenced to death for murder and hanged at Bedford Gaol on April 4, 1962.
But mr Leversha fears he may have condemned Sandiford to a worse punishment if her death sentence is eventually quashed.
"I voted against hanging when that was going on," he continued. "I didn't think it was right.
"I live by a simple principle that everyone deserves a second chance."
"I do have sympathy for this woman. Everyone gets faced with difficult decisions some time in their life.
"It may be that I have condemned her to a life worse than death in a Bali prison.
"But maybe this could be her resurrection and maybe she will do something good with her life."
