Barlow and Chambers execution
| Kevin John Barlow | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1957/1958 Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom |
| Died | 7 July 1986 (aged 28) Pudu Prison, Malaysia |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction(s) | Drug trafficking |
| Brian Geoffrey Shergold Chambers | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1956/1957 |
| Died | 7 July 1986 (aged 29) Pudu Prison, Malaysia |
| Criminal penalty | Death |
| Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction(s) | Drug trafficking |
The Barlow and Chambers executions were the hangings in 1986 by Malaysia of two Westerners, Kevin John Barlow (Australian and British) and Brian Geoffrey Shergold Chambers (Australian) of Perth, Western Australia, for the drug trafficking of 141.9 g of heroin.
The two men became the first Westerners to be executed under Malaysia's new tougher laws for drug offences that prescribe death for anyone convicted of having over 15 grams of heroin. Barlow was born in the UK in Stoke-on-Trent and held dual British and Australian nationalities. Barlow's family made appeals to UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to make a protest about the impending execution, and Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Bill Hayden made an appeal for clemency to the Malaysian government. The executions caused public outcry and strained political relations between Australia and Malaysia at the time.
Between early 1981 and the end of 1983 Chambers had made at least twelve trips abroad to transport heroin to Australia. In 1980 Chambers imported heroin to Australia using body packing techniques, placing the drugs in his anus. The rest of the load was swallowed. He used the same technique in 1981 when, on transit in Singapore, customs officers detected two vials of personal-use heroin in his jacket pocket. He was released after bribing officers.
Chambers and his then girlfriend, Susan Cheryl Jacobsen, decided to move to Melbourne to escape Perth's organised crime scene. Driving intoxicated near Penong, South Australia, Chambers crashed the vehicle. He was not seriously injured; Jacobsen, however, received severe injuries and spent several days in a coma before dying of her injuries on 20 May 1983.
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