A GRANDMOTHER sentenced to death for drug smuggling has been given a temporary reprieve.

Lindsay Sandiford, 59, originally from Redcar, was sentenced to death Indonesia in January 2013 after being caught trying to smuggle 3.8 kilograms of cocaine into Bali from Bangkok the previous year.

Several legal attempts to stop the execution have failed but now Luhut Panjaitan, co-ordinating minister for political legal and security affairs, has told a news conference that a halt on executions had been put into place.

The minister told reporters in Jakarta on Thursday that President Joko Widodo would not authorize any more executions pending efforts to revive the economy, which is growing at its slowest pace in six years.

His comments came during meetings aimed at boosting trade with the Australian government.

“The government needs to focus on Indonesia’s economy first,” he said.

A BBC news report explained that the minister did not give a timeframe for the suspension of executions.

Ms Sandiford has often said she was only carrying the drugs to protect her son, who she said was being threatened.