Laura Plummer latest: British woman jailed in Egypt over painkillers set to be freed

'We can't believe it's over,' says sister

Harriet Agerholm
Friday 26 January 2018 11:17 GMT
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Laura Plummer was sentenced to three years in prison for taking 290 painkiller tablets into the country in her suitcase
Laura Plummer was sentenced to three years in prison for taking 290 painkiller tablets into the country in her suitcase

A British woman who was jailed in Egypt on drug-smuggling charges is reportedly preparing to be freed within the next two days.

Laura Plummer, 33, from Hull, was sentenced to three years in prison in December for taking 290 Tramadol tablets into the country in her suitcase.

But her family understand she will not have to serve rest of her sentence, after she was pardoned by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, The Sun reported.

The President, who is able to issue pardons to prisoners, is reportedly expected to announce her release on Saturday.

Ms Plummer's sister, Jayne Synclair, told the newspaper: "We can't believe it's over. We've prayed for this day since she was arrested.

"We just want to get her home."

The 33-year-old is reported to have told her family: "I never thought this day would come. I'd given up hope."

The shop worker was arrested at the airport on 9 October last year when she flew into the Red Sea resort of Hurghada after she was found to be carrying the Tramadol tablets in her suitcase.

She was told she could face 25 years in prison or even death, but was sentenced to three years in jail on Boxing Day.

Tramadol is a painkiller that is legal in the UK, but banned in Egypt. The synthetic opioid is often used as a heroin substitute and one Egyptian minister has said Tramadol is the most abused drug in the country.

The scale of the problem in Egypt could be the reason the authorities brought proceedings against Ms Plummer.

A court heard she was taking the tablets for her Egyptian partner, Omar Caboo, who suffers from severe back pain and did not know what she was doing was wrong.

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We continue to provide assistance to Laura and her family and our embassy remains in regular contact with the Egyptian authorities."

Additional reporting by PA

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