Jailed Briton Laura Plummer told by Egyptian police she is 'innocent' of smuggling, says her family, as she faces YEAR-LONG wait to appeal
The British woman jailed for taking painkillers into Egypt has reportedly been told she is innocent by authorities in the country, her mother has said as she revealed they could face a year-long appeal process.
Laura Plummer, a shop assistant from Hull, was detained after arriving at the Red Sea resort of Hurghada in October with 290 Tramadol pills in her luggage, which her husband revealed was for his bad back.
She is currently being held at a police station holding room in Hugharda after being told there was no room for her at the notorious Qena prison.
Her mother, Roberta Synclair, 64, said that the police officers 'have been so nice' after she visited Miss Plummer, who is waiting for a prison transfer.
Miss Plummer's sister Rachel (right, with sister Jayne and mother Roberta), has said that the family could face a year wait for the appeal process to go through
'Some said, "You shouldn't be here, you are innocent",' Miss Synclair told The Sun. 'I'm so worried. She keeps saying she can't go on.'
Miss Plummer has to wait 60 days before she can file an appeal for the conviction.
Her family now been told that the appeal could take a further ten months to be heard after it's filed.
Miss Plummer's sister, Rachel Plummer, 31, said they are not pinning much hope on an appeal but added: 'If she can cope the last three months she will do this - she’s stronger then we think. I’m just scared for her - I’m so sorry for her.
'It kills me that we can’t do anything to help her and she’s on my mind every second.
'I hate waking up in a morning to feel the way I feel again - it’s horrible feeling so helpless not knowing what my sister is going through every day.'
Miss Plummer hopes she can serve her three-year sentence at a safe jail close to the British Embassy, but it is believed she will be sent to the notorious al-Qanater prison in Cairo.
Her mother visited her at the police station on Thursday.
Rachel Plummer said of the visit: 'She (Laura) was coping Ok - she’s obviously frightened but she’s Ok.
'The room she was in was better then the previous well and the police very good with Laura and my mum - very professional.
'It was fine - there was a bed and Laura had a blanket and a cushion that we had brought her on a previous trip.
'Mum took her plenty of food but her husband Omar will take her food and our lawyer will. Mum is distraught and heartbroken but if Laura can cope she can cope - Laura’s strength gives my mum and all of us strength.
The notorious Qena Prison, where Laura was initially held before she was moved to a police station in Hurghada due to a lack of room
We say we are living a nightmare but it will be nothing compared to Laura’s nightmare. But my mum could see Laura was coping Ok she just wants to get her head down and do her time and get it over with now.
'The sooner it’s done the sooner she can come home and get back to work which is all Laura wants - to be back to normality.'
Miss Plummer's boyfriend, Omar Abdul Azim, 31, a lifeguard, told the Mirror: 'You don't know how much I love her and how upset I am. My heart is broken.'
The couple met four years ago at the Hilton hotel in Sharks Bay, near Sharm el-Sheikh, where he was working as a lifeguard and Miss Plummer was on holiday.
Mr Azim was speaking as Plummer's Egyptian lawyer Mohamed Osman confirmed that she would be soon be sent to al-Qanater prison in Cairo.
Miss Plummer was taken to the notorious Qena prison on Wednesday but it was decided there was no room for her. She is now at a police station in Hurghada.
The news that she will be sent to the al-Qanater prison comes as a Briton jailed in Egypt for theft has revealed the 'horrendous' conditions inside the jail.
Pete Farmer, 45, served his time at the prison in al-Qanater which he says is rife with violence and disease.
Up to 30 people are crammed into each tiny cell, he said, and are forced to share a single shower while the toilet is just a hole in the ground.
Pete Farmer, 45, has revealed the conditions inside al-Qanater jail in Egypt where he believes fellow Briton Laura Plummer will be sent after she was jailed for smuggling painkillers (pictured left is Mr Farmer's overcrowded cell, while right is the shower the men shared)
He says disease was rife, with up to 30 people crammed into each cell sharing a single shower and toilet which was little more than a hole in the ground
Mr Farmer was jailed for two years for theft, claiming he picked up the wrong bag in a club where he was DJing by mistake
The DJ - who had worked in Sharm El Sheikh for 11 years - was released in November.
Photographs he took on a smuggled phone show the cramped cells, dirty toilets and the tiny window.
Speaking from Essex, where he is staying with family, Pete said: 'No one deserves that sort of punishment.
'I'm a man and I just got through my sentence. For her as a woman - my heart bleeds for her.
'The conditions are absolutely horrendous. Disease is rife, there are cockroaches and lice and bedbugs.
'It is very, very violent. I can recall being in a line and seeing people being beaten and burned on their private parts with cattle prods.
'In my cell there were four sets of bunk beds, each three levels high - so that's 12 people - with another 15 to 18 on the floor.
'Egypt is a beautiful country but it is the levels of corruption which are disgusting.'
Miss Plummer's father, Neville, has already spent £40,000 of his pension so he and his family can visit and help her with the appeal.
Her sister, Rachel, 31, said it could take a year for Miss Plummer's case to be heard.
Miss Plummer's boyfriend previously admitted that he felt responsible for her plight because she was bringing pills for him.
Mr Azim said: 'I'm the reason for what happened because she brought this especially for me.'
The prison was in a bad state of disrepair, he said (left), while the cell had only a single small window giving contact with the outside world
He said the food was fly-infested, and left out all day in the sun. During his time inside he dropped about a stone in weight
Left is a light that Mr Farmer constructed out of a Pringles can, while right he is pictured on his bunk inside jail
Speaking to the Mail from his home in Beni Suef near Cairo, Mr Azim, said: 'My heart is absolutely broken – I'm missing her so much.
'I did not want her to violate her life and I had no idea she would bring tramadol – I would have told her 'don't bring it to Egypt'.'
He added that he is campaigning for her release and is looking for a 'better lawyer' to help.
Two years ago Miss Plummer and Mr Azim had an Orfi marriage, which is not registered with the state but allows them to share a hotel room.
He considers her his wife. Polygamy is legal for men in Egypt and Mr Azim has another wife, who Miss Plummer has met.
Mr Azim said of Miss Plummer: 'She's my wife and I love her. I have been depressed. I was wordless [at the court verdict].'
Miss Plummer's sister Rachel, said the family was 'so disappointed' that she was sentenced on Boxing Day, instead of being allowed to return home.
She said: 'It’s horrible - we’ve not had a Christmas because of it and we won’t be celebrating New Year. We did the presents and put the tree up for this kids but the family didn’t do presents for each other.
'My dad wished me a happy Christmas but then went on to say "I know none of us are going to have a happy Christmas but it’s the thing to say". We just wanted Laura back - we said we’ll celebrate when she comes home.'
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