Renae Lawrence

Renae Lawrence (born 11 October 1977) is an Australian woman who was convicted in Indonesia for drug trafficking as a member of the Bali Nine.

After this relationship ended in October 2004, Lawrence moved back in with her mother and stepfather.

Her biological father described Lawrence, who was 27 at the time of her arrest, as being naïve and unworldly.

Initially employed as a trainee panel beater with a smash repair company, Lawrence later gained employment at Eurest, a catering company, where she met Martin Stephens, Matthew Norman, and her supervisor, Andrew Chan.

All four were later convicted of drug trafficking as members of the Bali Nine.

Media reports claim that in early October 2004 Lawrence was invited to Chan's Enfield (Sydney) home to celebrate her 27th birthday.

Chan allegedly told her that she was to travel with him to Bali without being told the detail behind the mission.

Lawrence claimed that Chan would cover all flights and accommodation.

However, if she disobeyed him or disclosed the nature of their arrangement, he would harm her family.

Conversely, Lawrence would be rewarded for following instructions.

It was also reported that she met Myuran Sukumaran around this time.

On 16 October 2004, Lawrence flew to Bali on what Indonesian police claim was a false passport.

It was alleged that Chan entered Bali on the same date.

Lawrence claimed that she was in regular contact with Chan whilst she stayed in the Istana Rama Hotel in Kuta, and Chan in Kuta's sprawling Hard Rock complex.

Media reports stated that Lawrence alleged that on 22 October 2004, Sukumaran strapped packages to the body of both Lawrence and Chan, and with Chan's girlfriend, Grace, boarded a commercial flight to Australia, successfully clearing security, customs and immigration in both Indonesia and Australia.

Lawrence claimed that she and Chan were met at the airport, the packages removed, all of them taken to another house, and then Lawrence went home.

A few days later Lawrence claimed that Chan handed her an envelope with A$10,000 cash.

A similar trip was organised following Chan's orders, Lawrence claimed, where she departed Australia on 5 December 2004.

Lawrence claimed that seven others were involved, including Chan, Matthew Norman, and Tan Duc Thanh Nguyen (going by the alias of David).

Lawrence claim that she was again given cash to purchase flights and accommodation for eight days, staying again at the Istana Rama in Kuta.

However, the second delivery was aborted when heroin suppliers failed to deliver "due to a financial matter or someone knowing about the plan the shipment was cancelled".

In April 2005, on her third trip to Bali, Lawrence was arrested at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar with 2.689 kg of heroin concealed on her body.

According to Lawrence, again under Chan's instructions, Lawrence departed Australia on 6 April 2005.

The day before, Lawrence, Stephens and Si Yi Chen met with Sukumaran where police allege drug smuggling tools such as sealable plastic bags, medical tape, elastic waist bands and skin tight bike shorts were stuffed into the bags of Lawrence and Stephens.

Lawrence claims she was given cash; whilst Stephens claims that his life was threatened.

Media reports claim that police records show that Lawrence was in daily contact with Chan, whilst in Bali, until 13 April, when Chan changed his mobile phone number.

On the same day, he instructed Lawrence and other members of the Bali Nine to change hotels.

The original planned departure date of 14 April from Bali was delayed as Chan suspected Australian and Indonesian police were aware of his plans.

Lawrence was arrested by Indonesian police on 17 April 2005 at Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali.

Heroin weighing 2.689 kg was discovered strapped to her legs and chest, concealed underneath her clothing.

Scott Rush, Michael Czugaj and Stephens were arrested at the same time as Lawrence.

On 20 April 2005, graphic footage of the arrests and subsequent police questioning of Lawrence and other members of the Bali Nine was aired on Australian television.

On the same day that Lawrence was arrested, Indonesian police also arrested Chen, Nguyen, Sukumaran and Norman at the Melasti Hotel in Kuta.

After a criminal trial in which she cooperated with investigators and informed on the ringleaders, she was sentenced on 13 February 2006 to life imprisonment.

Her appeal to the Indonesian Supreme Court to have the life sentence reduced to 20 years was successful on 26 April 2006.

When given a five-month remission of sentence on Indonesia's Independence Day in 2009, Lawrence’s sentence was commuted in 2018.

Lawrence was moved from Kerobokan Prison in late 2013 to a prison in Negara, Bali after authorities accused her of a plot to kill prison guards.

At her own request in March 2014, Lawrence was subsequently transferred to a prison in Bangli to be closer to Denpasar for her family and visitors.

She was released and deported on 21 November 2018.

Lawrence, from Newcastle, New South Wales, lived for a decade with her same sex partner, who was ten years her senior.