'I never thought this day would come': British woman Laura Plummer jailed in Egypt over illegal painkillers 'to be freed by president'

Tom Powell26 January 2018

A British woman jailed for bringing illegal painkillers into Egypt could be freed within two days due to a pardon by the country’s president.

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

But her family understand she will be saved from serving the rest of her sentence after being pardoned by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

The Sun reported the president, who can issue pardons to prisoners as part of Egypt's Revolution Day celebrations, is expected to announce her release on Saturday.

The 33-year-old was jailed for three years on Boxing Day
PA

Sister Jayne Synclair told the paper: "We can't believe it's over. We've prayed for this day since she was arrested. We just want to get her home."

Ms Plummer, from Hull, is reported to have told her family in an emotional phone call: "I never thought this day would come. I'd given up hope."

The shop worker was arrested at the airport on October 9 last year when she flew into the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.

She was handed her jail sentence by judges on Boxing Day, nearly three months after she was found to be carrying the Tramadol tablets in her suitcase, a painkiller which is legal in the UK but banned in Egypt.

The court was told she was taking the tablets for her Egyptian partner Omar Caboo, who suffers from severe back pain, and had no idea 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."

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