Alleged Drug Ring Brit Claims He Was Set Up

A British man arrested over a £1.6m cocaine haul in Indonesia has insisted he was set up as he went to pick up a birthday present for his daughter.

The lawyer for Julian Ponder, who is being held in Bali on suspicion of being part of drug smuggling operation, has claimed his client believes he was "trapped".

Ponder was arrested along with two other Brits, Rachel Dougall - who is understood to be Ponder's partner - and Paul Beales, and one Indian national.

The four were detained after British woman Lindsay Sandiford, 55, was allegedly caught with 4.8kg of cocaine stuffed in the lining of a suitcase as she arrived in Bali on May 19.

The local police narcotics chief told reporters she agreed to take part in a sting operation in which officers swooped on the other suspects.

Dougall, whose young daughter with Ponder is reportedly being cared for by their maid and gardener on the island, has claimed she was the victim of a "fit-up" .

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

Ponder's lawyer told ITV News his client insists he was told Sandiford was delivering a present for the six-year-old's birthday and when he met her to receive the gift, he was arrested.

His lawyer told the channel: "Julian Ponder believes 100% that he was trapped by Lindsay (Sandiford)," and said he did not touch or accept the package.

Sandiford, who is originally from Redcar in North Yorkshire, has reportedly claimed she was forced to smuggle cocaine into Bali because her children back in the UK were being threatened.

But speaking to ITV News from his holding cell, Beales said he believed this was untrue.

If found guilty, Sandiford may be spared the death penalty because she co-operated with the police sting, according to reports.

The four other suspects of the smuggling operation could face a firing squad if convicted.

More than 140 people are on death row in Indonesia as a result of drug convictions in the country - a third of them foreigners.