British tourist collapses after getting 3 year sentence

British tourist Laura Plummer collapsed in shock after hearing she had been given a three-year sentence in a hellish Egyptian prison for drug smuggling.

Thirty-three-year-old Laura fell to the floor after being handed the sentence by an Egyptian court yesterday over powerful painkillers found in her suitcase.  

Stunned, the woman from Hull sobbed before slumping to the floor. 

‘I thought I’d be freed — I thought it was the end,’ she sobbed.

Laura escaped the death penalty for transporting the opiate Tramadol in her luggage at the start of a holiday.

Ms Plummer and Omar Caboo, her partner

British tourist Laura Plummer (pictured left) collapsed in shock after hearing she had been given a three-year sentence in a hellish Egyptian prison for drug smuggling. 

However, she was told she would still be locked up.

She said: ‘Everyone was saying how strong my case was and that it was only a matter of time. How can this be happening?

‘I can’t do three years here, I’m so frightened, I haven’t done anything wrong.’ 

Last night she was moved to a police holding cell next to the court in port town Safaga.

Later she was told she would be transferred to a jail 150 miles away in just a few days, told The Sun.          

Shop worker Laura Plummer, 33, from Hull, was arrested after she was found to be carrying 290 Tramadol tablets in her suitcase, a painkiller which is legal in the UK but banned in Egypt.

Ms Plummer’s family, who have described her as ‘naive’, said she was taking the tablets for her Egyptian partner Omar Caboo, who suffers from severe back pain. 

But now a judge at a preliminary court has sentenced her to three years’ imprisonment and ordered her to pay a fine of 100,000 Egyptian pounds (£4,205). 

Speaking after the sentence, her visibly distraught mother, Roberta Sinclair, said: 'This is not fair. She's done it in all innocence'

Pictured: Ms Plummer's mother after the sentence

Stunned, the woman from Hull sobbed before slumping to the floor. ‘I thought I’d be freed — I thought it was the end,’ she sobbed. Speaking after the sentence, her visibly distraught mother, Roberta Synclair, said: ‘This is not fair. She’s done it in all innocence’

Mr Caboo was reportedly 'very sad' while Laura cried so heavily that her mother has to calm her down. Pictured: Mr Caboo (left) with Ms Plummer's mother (centre) at the court after the sentence 

Mr Caboo was reportedly ‘very sad’ while Laura cried so heavily that her mother has to calm her down. Pictured: Mr Caboo (left) with Ms Plummer’s mother (centre) at the court after the sentence 

Mr Caboo (pictured) was described by witnesses at the court as being 'very sad' after the sentence was delivered, while Laura cried so heavily that her mother had to calm her down

Mr Caboo (pictured) was described by witnesses at the court as being ‘very sad’ after the sentence was delivered, while Laura cried so heavily that her mother had to calm her down

‘If she ever makes it out of there, I will be amazed,’ Ms Plummer’s sister Jayne Synclair told the Mirror.

‘She will probably be dead if she has to stay in there for three years.’ 

The 40-year-old added: ‘She is not the strongest person – she’s already having a nervous breakdown and is being kicked and punched in the holding prison.’

Yesterday, her lawyer said Ms Plummer had ‘accidentally’ confessed in front of a judge after reportedly misunderstanding a question. 

Ms Plummer’s family previously claimed she was suicidal after sharing a 15ft square cell with 25 women inmates.

It has also been claimed that staff at the jail – which is on the outskirts of the city of Hurgharda – have shown little sympathy for what the Egyptian media are calling the ‘Tramadol Tourist’. 

Mr Caboo was described by witnesses at the court as being ‘very sad’ after the sentence was delivered, while Laura cried so heavily that her mother had to calm her down.

Laura Plummer (pictured), 33, has been sentenced to three years in prison

Laura Plummer (pictured), 33, has been sentenced to three years in prison

Speaking after the sentence, her visibly distraught mother, Roberta Synclair, said: ‘This is not fair. She’s done it in all innocence.

‘She brought [the drugs] to help someone, to help a family.’

She added: ‘She’s the kindest person… I was worried about her before, [when she was] in the police station. I’m even more worried now she’s in actual prison with real criminals.

‘I feel sick – I’m so frightened for her.’    

She has now been transferred to a police station, from which she will be sent to jail.  

The sentence, however, can be changed as the case progresses through the Egyptian legal system. 

It is expected to take a minimum of one month for the second stage of the case to begin. 

The family said her lawyers lodged an immediate appeal. 

Ms Plummer’s sister, Rachel, said their mother Roberta was ‘devastated’ by the sentence. 

Laura Plummer’s current jail – and two prisons she could be sent to

Laura Plummer was arrested at Hurghada International Airport on October 9 when police discovered she was carrying Tramadol and Naproxen in her suitcase.

Since then, she has been held in a communal cell in Hurghada packed with 25 other women.  

Her current cell is 15ft by 15ft, her family said, and – they claim – full of ‘murderers, heroin addicts and prostitutes’. 

Her sister Jayne Synclair told The Mirror she was being ‘targeted’ by other inmates because she is foreign. 

Jayne said: ‘To give you an idea of the place Laura is staying in – this woman [a woman alleged to be caring for Laura] is locked up for slitting her best friend’s throat.’

She added: ‘She’s a target in there because she’s a foreigner.

‘She was being kicked and kicked until apparently the cell leader started watching her.’

Al Jazeera, which is based in nearby Qatar, also published a more general story about the state of Egyptian prisons in 2014. Toilets were a hole in the ground with a curtain for privacy

Al Jazeera, which is based in nearby Qatar, also published a more general story about the state of Egyptian prisons in 2014. Toilets were a hole in the ground with a curtain for privacy

In shocking videos leaked to the TV channel, jails in the country were shown to be cramped and dirty

In shocking videos leaked to the TV channel, jails in the country were shown to be cramped and dirty

Al-Monitor , meanwhile, has reported that female prisoners in Egypt face regular sexual harassment and abuse by guards at jails. Pictured: A grab from a video obtained by Al Jazeera 

Al-Monitor , meanwhile, has reported that female prisoners in Egypt face regular sexual harassment and abuse by guards at jails. Pictured: A grab from a video obtained by Al Jazeera 

Prisons in Egypt have been repeatedly exposed as hellishly filthy. Pictured: The windows at one prison 

Prisons in Egypt have been repeatedly exposed as hellishly filthy. Pictured: The windows at one prison 

Jayne has also said Ms Plummer has threatened to kill herself because of the ‘repulsive’ conditions in the prison, which has no toilet or air conditioning. 

She reportedly relieves herself in a hole in the ground. 

Either today or tomorrow, she will be sent to either Qena prison. 

Prisons in Egypt have been repeatedly exposed as hellishly filthy. 

Al Jazeera interviewed an inmate from al-Qanater prison – which is used for both political prisoners and for regular criminals – who said it was ‘full of cockroaches’ and ‘disgusting’.

She said everything was dirty and she regularly felt intimidated by other prisoners. 

Pictured: Al-Qanater prison, where Ms Plummer could be sent by the Egyptian court 

Pictured: Al-Qanater prison, where Ms Plummer could be sent by the Egyptian court 

Esraa el-Taweel told the broadcaster: ‘The prison is scary and horrible. A different world – some [prisoners] are caught for using drugs, some for being prostitutes, some for pickpocketing, and others for stealing public funds. 

‘I have seen strange people and heard very strange stories. This cell is disgusting, full of cockroaches. Everything here is disgusting and life here is very difficult.’ 

Al Jazeera, which is based in nearby Qatar, also published a more general story about the state of Egyptian prisons in 2014.

In shocking videos leaked to the TV channel, jails in the country were shown to be cramped and dirty. 

Toilets were a hole in the ground with a curtain for privacy.  

Al-Monitor, meanwhile, has reported that female prisoners in Egypt face regular sexual harassment and abuse by guards at jails.  

She said the family was trying to find out more details about what happened in the courtroom today.

She said: ‘My mum’s obviously devastated. She’s out there by herself.’ She added that she did not know whether the appeal would be heard today.

She said: ‘We’re just hoping. Even half of that would be better. Anything less than three years. She doesn’t deserve that.’ 

Ms Plummer’s MP Karl Turner said the ruling had come as a devastating blow to her family but he was hopeful that good sense would eventually prevail.

Miss Plummer, left, could face 25 years in prison with no parole, life imprisonment or even the death penalty

Miss Plummer, left, could face 25 years in prison with no parole, life imprisonment or even the death penalty

He said her case had been raised with the Egyptian authorities by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and the Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt.

‘I am hopeful that good sense will eventually prevail,’ he told BBC Radio 4’s The World At One.

‘This is a damning indictment actually of the Egyptian authorities in the sense that good sense and fairness certainly hasn’t prevailed in this case.

‘This is a decent woman who has made a terrible mistake who shouldn’t be incarcerated in any prison, never mind an Egyptian prison.’   

Neville Plummer, Laura’s father, said his daughter is ‘on the verge of a breakdown’ after the sentencing. 

‘The family are all absolutely devastated for Laura. It has been very distressing for everyone involved, but we have got to stay strong for Laura,’ he said.

‘The last time I spoke to Laura was two days after she was arrested.. To be honest, I think she was sentenced on the day she was arrested.

A judge at a preliminary court has sentenced Ms Plummer (pictured) to three years' imprisonment and ordered her to pay a fine of 100,000 Egyptian pounds (£4,205)

A judge at a preliminary court has sentenced Ms Plummer (pictured) to three years’ imprisonment and ordered her to pay a fine of 100,000 Egyptian pounds (£4,205)

‘This has been drawn out and dragged on and on, and in a way a line has now been drawn in the sand and things can only get better.’ 

‘We have now got to stay positive for Laura,’ Mr Plummer said. 

‘I will leave no stone unturned, and will let no money stand in the way of getting her the justice she needs.

‘She pleaded guilty to the trafficking when she did not even mean to plead guilty that is not justice, that is an injustice.

‘I will never give up with the help. It is a very sad day for the family, at what should be a happy time of the year.’

Mr Plummer praised the work of the lawyers and legal teams who had represented Laura during the hearing.

He also said Hull East MP Karl Turner had been very supportive of Laura, and was continuing in his work to help the Hull woman.

Mr Turner said: ‘I am hopeful that good sense will eventually prevail. 

‘This is a damning indictment actually of the Egyptian authorities in the sense that good sense and fairness certainly hasn’t prevailed in this case.

‘This is a decent woman who has made a terrible mistake who shouldn’t be incarcerated in any prison, never mind an Egyptian prison.’ 

Yesterday her lawyer said she had ‘accidentally’ pleaded guilty during a hearing.  

Her mother Roberta Synclair travelled to Egypt for the Christmas Day hearing.

Her lawyer Dia al-Bassal said Ms Plummer was asked yesterday: ‘You are accused of smuggling and possessing Tramadol to Egypt?’ 

She then replied ‘yes’, with the judge ensuring the clerk recorded she had ‘confessed’ to the crime. 

But when her translator explained what the question was, she denied being guilty of the charge. 

Mr Bassal told The Telegraph: ‘She meant that she is admitting that she had the Tramadol, but not admitting of being guilty.   

‘The judge jumped to the conclusion that she confesses before clarifying that she understood the question and this is worrying.’

Ms Plummer then reportedly wept in frustration, stressing ‘it’s not fair’. 

Laura Plummer

The case revolves around 290 Tramadol Miss Plummer took with her to Egypt for her lover Omar Caboo (pictured), 33, who suffers from back pain

The case revolves around 290 Tramadol Miss Plummer (left) took with her to Egypt for her lover Omar Caboo (right), 33, who suffers from back pain

Her lawyer will submit an explanation today emphasising that she meant to say she had the drug with her but did not intend to sell it.           

Her sister Rachel Plummer said the judge adjourned the case for a day because of Laura’s condition.

She said: ‘She’s sleep deprived, she’s visibly nervous and upset.

‘She’s answered some questions wrong because she’s not understanding them, she obviously can’t think straight.

‘You can imagine the pressure – this is her life.’

She said their mother and Mr Caboo were denied access to the hearing as their driver took them to court late.  

MP Karl Turner told Sky News yesterday’s hearing was adjourned so that Ms Plummer could find another interpreter.

He said: ‘Apparently something was lost in translation, the defence lawyer wasn’t confident that Laura was understanding the questions first of all, and the interpreter wasn’t correctly translating what Laura was saying in her answers.’    

Mr Turner said: ‘The evidence is pretty clear that she didn’t know the drug was banned and she was taking it out there to help her boyfriend, who has come up with the evidence that he does suffer from a severe back problem.’

The Plummer family has previously said she had no idea that what she doing was illegal and was just ‘daft’.

Prison visit: The family of a British woman facing the death penalty in Egypt on drug smuggling charges today paid her an emotional visit in prison

Prison visit: The family of a British woman facing the death penalty in Egypt on drug smuggling charges today paid her an emotional visit in prison

They said she did not try to hide the medicine, which she had been given by a friend, and she thought it was a joke when she was pulled over by officials after arriving for a holiday with her partner.

Mrs Synclair said her daughter was being held in terrible conditions in a communal cell with no beds, sharing with up to 25 other women.

She said she looked ‘unrecognisable’.

Ms Plummer is being held in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, where she was arrested at the airport on October 9.

Her family has been told that she could face up to 25 years in jail, with one lawyer even mentioning the death penalty.         

Yesterday her lawyer claimed the price of her plane ticket could set her free.   

Mohamed Othman said that a plane ticket shows she did not intend to sell the 290 Tramadol tablets found in her suitcase because she paid twice as much for her flight as the drugs are worth.

Othman called the plane ticket a ‘key piece of evidence’.

He told The Sun: ‘For someone to be found guilty of drug smuggling they have to be aware that they are possessing narcotics. Laura did not know that what she was carrying was a narcotic.

‘It is illogical that she was dealing in Tramadol.She had only 320 pills – even the plane ticket is almost double the price of those pills.’

Plummer wept in court as she appeared in front of a judge on Christmas Day.

Christmas Day is a normal working day in the Islamic country, and the shop assistant from Hull appeared in the dock handcuffed.

Miss Plummer’s mother Roberta Synclair and Mr Caboo arrived late to the courtroom and stood outside.

Mr Caboo, speaking outside of court, was convinced Miss Plummer would be freed. 

He told MailOnline: ‘I am sure Laura is innocent. She did not bring the Tramadol for selling or trading.

‘I am sure she will be freed. She did not intend to do smuggle or trade.’

When Miss Plummer was arrested on October 9, she signed a 38-page document written in Arabic as she thought it would grant her freedom.

It led to her being locked up and she has already spent ten weeks in prison sharing a 15ft square cell with 25 women inmates. 

Last month, her mother Roberta Synclair said: ‘She did not realise what she was doing’.

She said Ms Plummer made no attempt to hide the medicine, which she had been given by a friend, and she thought it was a joke when she was first pulled over by officials when she flew into the country for a holiday with Mr Caboo.  

Laura Plummer, left, is being held by Egyptian authorities after taking Tramadol into the country

Laura Plummer, left, is being held by Egyptian authorities after taking Tramadol into the country



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