Hull woman in Egypt prison releases secret message from her jail cell
Laura Plummer reportedly faces the threat of Death Penalty or a 25-year imprisonment, months after she was taken into custody for possession of prescription ‘drugs’ which she brought for her husband's backache.
A shocking story is all over the global news, according to which a 33-year-old British tourist, Laura Plummer, has been locked up in prison for more than a month after the Egypt police caught her with some pills of Tramadol and Naproxen. It was October 9, when Laura reached the Hurghada airport only to be held by the authorities. The family claims that Laura was made to sign an Arabic statement of 38-pages which the officials had given to her, but instead of freeing her, she was put behind bars.
The family has been telling the media that Laura only intended to bring medication for her Egyptian husband, who had been experiencing back pain since an accident he had met earlier. Laura’s brother added that she used to visit her husband about four times a year and she thought it was a ‘good deed’ for her husband.
Plummer has been kept in a 15′ by 15′ cell with 25 more women that are in with her. A lawyer has told the family that Laura might have to face 25-years in the jail or even a death penalty. She is to appear in court for the trial again this Thursday.
Laura's mother and sister managed to visit her, and according to them, she was "unrecognizable." Her brother said to the press," She has a phobia of using anybody else's toilet, so let alone sharing a toilet and a floor with everybody else.” He feels that Laura might not be tough enough to survive the cell there.
It is important to note here that although Tramadol is a commonly prescribed pain reliever in different countries, its use is restricted in Egypt as it is one of the most abused drugs there. According to the local news there, drug trafficking is a severe offense in Egypt and guidelines mention that any citizen or tourist committing such a crime might even be punished with a death penalty.
The news has taken everyone by shock across the world, as such a severe punishment for the possession of a standard medicine is something that was unheard of till now. There might be different results that may or may not favor Laura, but this incident has taught us one important lesson. The next time you take your medicines to a foreign country, be sure to check twice if it meets the guidelines there, regardless of it being a pill to fix the causes of blue waffles infection or a mere aspirin.