LAOS: Laos court officials in talks over pregnant Briton accused of heroin smuggling

Record ID: 730555

  • Title: LAOS: Laos court officials in talks over pregnant Briton accused of heroin smuggling
  • Date: 13th May 2009
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF LOCALS ON STREET (2 SHOTS)
  • Embargoed: 28th May 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA9IZJPDMQ48X8MWATI5IQ0UH1S
  • Story Text: The case of a pregnant British woman accused of heroin smuggling in Laos is still awaiting a trial date.
    Court officials and lawyers in Laos have been involved in talks over a British woman who could face the death penalty on a drug smuggling charge.
    An unidentified court official told Reuters on Tuesday (May 12) the case against Londoner Samantha Orobator, 20, who is accused of smuggling heroin, had been discussed, but he refused to say who was at the meeting and was unable to give a date for the start of any court hearing.
    Prosecutors claim the woman had 680 grams of heroin in her luggage while she was about to board a plane to Thailand. According to Lao law the death penalty is mandatory for possession of over 500 grams of heroin.
    Orobator has been held in a prison in Laos since her arrest at Wattay airport in August 2008 and is five months pregnant.
    On Thursday last week (May 7) Britain and Laos signed a prisoner transfer agreement that could allow her to serve any sentence at home.
    Reprieve, a prison rights charity that campaigns against capital punishment, has demanded immediate access to Orobator for its counsel.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: Footage contains identifiable children: users must ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations governing the publishing of this material.
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