New Zealander Antony de Malmanche has escaped the death penalty after attempting to smuggle 1.7kg of methamphetamine into Bali.
The 52-year-old from Wanganui was sentenced to 15 years in prison after Indonesian prosecutors stopped short of requesting the death penalty at his sentencing today, Television New Zealand reported.
De Malmanche was arrested in December last year at the Bali border when the crystal meth was found inside his backpack at the Denpasar International Airport.
His defence argued tjat de Malmanche had been effectively brainwashed by hours of online chat with someone identifying as "Jessy Smith", whom he had fallen in love with.
They said the disability pensioner - who suffers from mental illness and low IQ - was tricked into the Bali journey on the pretence of meeting her.
The judges could have imposed a maximum sentence of death, but prosecutors recommended that de Malmanche serve 18 years in prison.
