A British woman jailed for taking illegal painkillers into Egypt has been pardoned by the country’s president.
Laura Plummer, 33, was jailed for three years on Boxing Day after being found to have illegally brought 290 Tramadol painkiller tablets in her suitcase into the country.
Ms Plummer’s family, who have described her as ‘naive’, said she was taking the tablets for her Egyptian Partner Omar, who suffers from severe back pain.
The 33-year-old, who works in a shop in Hull, was being held in horrendous conditions in a prison cell.
Her sister Jayne Sinclair had been hoping for Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, who can issue pardons to prisoners as part of Egypt’s Revolution Day celebrations, to release her.
After hearing she was due to be let out, Ms Plummer reportedly said to her family: ‘I never thought this day would come. I’d given up hope. It’s hard to believe and hasn’t sunk in yet.’
Her sister told The Sun: ‘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 shop worker was arrested at the airport on October 9 last year when she flew into the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.
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.’
ReportUK.me
