Two of Bali Nine get life

Renae Lawrence, 28, in her holding cell after being sentenced. Jason Childs / Getty Images

An Indonesian court jailed two Australians for life yesterday for heroin smuggling, ignoring a request for leniency from prosecutors for one of the defendants because of her co-operation in the case.

The prosecutors had sought 20 years' jail for Renae Lawrence, the only woman among nine Australians caught last April for trying to smuggle more than 8.2kg of heroin from Bali to Australia.

After her verdict was handed down, another member of the group, Scott Rush, was given the same sentence, in line with a prosecution submission.

The rest of the verdicts are expected this week, including for the two alleged masterminds of the drug trafficking whom prosecutors want executed by firing squad.

In its ruling, the Denpasar District Court said Lawrence's good behaviour and co-operation were no different from several other defendants'.

"Their roles in this case are almost the same," Judge I Gusti Ngurah Astawa told the court.

Lawrence, 28, from the city of Newcastle, stared at the courtroom floor and shook her head after the verdict was translated for her.

Rush, 20, is from Brisbane.

Both were caught at Bali's international airport with packages of heroin taped to their bodies as they prepared to board a flight to Sydney.

All members of the group have faced charges that carry the maximum penalty of death by firing squad.

Lawrence was the only member for whom the demand was less than life.

Prosecutors said they sought a more lenient term because she was helpful in giving statements during the investigation that helped authorities uncover evidence about the smuggling operation.

Under Indonesian law, a prosecution submission on sentence is not binding on judges but is seen as a strong recommendation. There is generally no parole for those jailed for life in Indonesia.

- REUTERS