Briton jailed for cocaine possession in Indonesia

A British man linked to a drugs trafficking ring on the Indonesian resort island of Bali was Tuesday sentenced to six years in jail for possession of cocaine. Julian Ponder, 43, was one of four Britons arrested on drugs charges, including Lindsay Sandiford, a British grandmother who was condemned to death last week for her part in what authorities described as a "huge international syndicate". Presiding judge Gunawan Tri Budiono told Bali's Denpasar court that Ponder was guilty of possessing 23.04 grams (0.8 ounces) of cocaine worth $6,000. "The defendant has been proven legally and convincingly guilty of committing a crime of drug possession," he said. "(Judges) sentence him to six years in jail and a fine of one billion rupiah ($103,000)," he added. The sentence was lighter than the seven years' jail recommended by prosecutors. Ponder was dressed casually in a blue T-shirt and checked shorts but later changed to a long-sleeved white shirt and black jeans during the hearing. He appeared tense as the verdict was read out. His defence lawyer Arie Budiman Soenardi told reporters after the trial that he would advise Ponder not to appeal against the sentence. "(The sentence) is quite light, not far from what the prosecutors had asked, so we will soon advise our client to accept it," he said.