Brit Laura Plummer weeps in Egyptian court over drug smuggling charge that carries death penalty

Laura Plummer, the British woman held in an Egyptian jail accused of smuggling drugs, wept as she appeared in court on Monday (25 December) in handcuffs.

The 33-year-old shop worker from Hull was arrested after being caught carrying 290 Tramadol tablets in her suitcase. The painkiller, which is illegal in Egypt, was meant for her 33-year-old Egyptian boyfriend Omar Caboo, her family alleges.

She appeared in court on Christmas Day and her trial was adjourned until Tuesday (26 December). Plummer's sister said the judge adjourned the trial due to her condition.

"She's sleep deprived, she's visibly nervous and upset," Rachel Plummer said, according to the Hull Daily Mail. "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."

Plummer took the tablets to Egypt because Caboo suffers from severe back pain, according to her family. They said she did not know that bringing the tablets into Egypt was illegal.

"She did not realise what she was doing," her mother Roberta Sinclair said on ITV's This Morning programme last month. Sinclair said her daughter did not attempt to hide the medicine, which was given to her by a friend, and thought it was joke when she was pulled over by airport officials.

Sinclair said Plummer was being held in horrible conditions in a communal cell with up to 25 other women. She said her daughter looked "unrecognisable".

Sinclair and Caboo arrived late to the courtroom and stood outside, MailOnline reported. Speaking outside of the court, Caboo said he was convinced Plummer would be freed.

"I am sure Laura is innocent. She did not bring the Tramadol for selling or trading," he told MailOnline. "I am sure she will be freed. She did not intend to do smuggle or trade."

Foreign Minister Alistair Burt has been to Egypt and spoken to his counterparts, Labour MP Karl Turner told the Hull Daily Mail.

"Unfortunately ministers can only do so much, the judiciary in Egypt is independent and impartial and the judge will come to a view without any outside influence," Turner said. He added that Caboo had presented evidence that he does suffer from severe back pain.

Turner continued: "The lawyer acting for them is very honest and has said the situation is very serious. But there is an awful lot of good things to say on behalf of Laura, and hopefully the judge will use his or her discretion."

Plummer is being held in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, after being arrested at the airport on 9 October. She reportedly signed a 38-page document written in Arabic she believed would free her. Instead, she has already spent 10 weeks in prison sharing a 15ft square cell with dozens of women and no bed.

MailOnline reported prosecutors persuaded a court in Hurghada to send her to trial and she is set to appear before a judge at the main criminal court in Safaga. Her family was told she could face up to 25 years in jail, with one lawyer saying she could also face the death penalty.

Mohamed Osman, Plummer's lawyer, warned her family that even if she is cleared of drug smuggling charges, she could still be sentenced to two years in jail for being in possession of a banned substance. Her defence team plan to submit a bail application that could free Plummer from the detention centre she has been in since her arrest.