Father of Brit Laura Plummer, facing death penalty in Egypt 'for smuggling painkillers': my daughter is innocent

Laura Plummer with her partner Omar
Facebook
Ella Wills6 November 2017

The father of a British tourist who is facing the death penalty in Egypt for carrying painkillers in her suitcase has said the family are “distraught and devastated beyond words”.

Laura Plummer, 33, from Hull, was arrested when she was found to be carrying tramadol and Naproxen in her suitcase, The Sun reported.

She has been detained for month in a 15ft by 15ft cell with 25 other women, it was reported.

Her mother and two sisters said she is "unrecognisable", in an interview with ITV's This Morning on Monday.

Speaking out in an interview with BBC Radio Humberside, her father Neville insisted she had “done nothing wrong”.

"She’s the most ordinary girl," he said. "Everyone who knows Laura knows what a lovely girl she is."

He added: "I believe Laura is innocent."

'Distraught': Laura Plumber's mother, Roberta, and sisters Rachel and Jayne
Rex

Mr Plummer told the BBC's David Burnsey she is charged with drug smuggling and could be facing 25 years or even the death penalty.

He said she is in a "terrible state" and "living in conditions which you wouldn't put a dog in".

Mr Plummer said he received a cry for help from Ms Plummer the day after she flew out to Egypt on October 9.

Ms Plummer's sisters Rachel, 31, and Jayne, 30 and her mum Roberta, who have visited her in prison, opened up about her ordeal on ITV.

Eldest sister Jayne said: "She looks vacant in her eyes and all her hair is falling out. She's so sorry. We are sitting at home and crying. We need to let other people know."

Mother Roberta added: "She's been ill with ear infections and things."

Mr Plummer told Hull Daily Mail: “I got a text from her which said ‘Dad, please answer your phone, I am in trouble.”

“I found out she had been arrested when they found the Tramadol in her luggage, but they were not even hidden – that is not the actions of a drug smuggler.

“We are distraught, upset beyond words, and are terrified of the consequences that could happen to Laura.”

The woman’s brother, James Plummer, 31, said his sister had been arrested for what he thinks the authorities in Egypt call "drug trafficking", but said she had only brought a small amount of medication for her Egyptian husband who she visits two to four times a year.

She took 29 strips of tramadol, each containing ten tablets, in addition to some Naproxen, it was reported.

Her husband is said to suffer back pain due to an accident.

Ms Plummer’s father also said that the family were conned by a bogus Egyptian lawyer who ran off with £10,000 after being paid, according to the Hull Daily Mail.

He claimed the fraudsters duped him out of £7,500, Ms Plummer’s mother out of £1,000 and Ms Plummer £1,500.

“People have questioned why I was so stupid to do it, but I felt duty-bound to my daughter to do it,” Mr Plummer said.

“He could have asked for £20,000 or £30,000 and I would have paid it – I just want to get Laura home.”

The Brit’s father revealed she had expressed suicidal thoughts since she had been in jail and feared she would “not survive” prison if sentenced to custody.

He said: “She has always been the most scared of the family – she can’t handle any blood or horror.

“I am afraid she is disappearing before our eyes - all her friends say she is just a darling to society.

“From a family of eight, we are all good, honest people, but out of all of us she is the most honest of the lot.”

Mr Plummer confirmed that she had been given the tablets by a work colleague and close friend, after she told her about her boyfriend’s back pain.

Nearly 6,000 people have signed a petition to free the Hull woman.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT