Laura Plummer’s husband reveals his heartache as lawyers for Brit jailed in Egypt plan appeal
THE Egyptian husband of jailed Brit Laura Plummer has said his "heart is broken" after she was convicted of carrying banned painkillers into the country for his bad back.
Omar Abd El Azim, 31, said as she was held in a cell awaiting an appeal: "You don’t know how much I love her and how upset I am."
Shop worker Laura, 33, from Hull,was jailed for three years on Boxing Day, two months after she was arrested for having 290 Tramadol pills in her suitcase.
Distraught Omar - who has admitted it was his fault as the pills were for him - has not been able to speak to her since she was sentenced.
He said last night: "My heart is broken. I am so upset.
"Everybody in my family – my father, mother, brothers, sisters, friends, everybody is upset and crying about Laura.
“I am worried so much about her. You don’t know how much I love her. And she loves me so much.”
Security guard Omar, who is married with two kids, is believed to have an "Orfi" marriage with Laura which is not officially registered but lets them share a hotel room.
He added: “I have known her for four years. She is not just my girlfriend, she is my wife."
Laura is being held in a police cell in Red Sea resort Hurghada, where we revealed cops have told her they believe she is innocent.
Mum Roberta Synclair, 64, said: “The officers have been so nice. Some said, ‘You shouldn’t be here, you are innocent’.”
But she added: “I’m so worried. She keeps saying she can’t go on.”
Laura faces being moved to a cockroach-infested hellhole jail as she waits for a 60-day period to lapse before she can lodge an appeal.
Her lawyer said he would argue she did not know the painkillers - legal on prescription in the UK - were illegal in Egypt.
She had faced a possible death sentence or 20 years behind bars for drug trafficking, but was eventually convicted of the lesser charge of possession and given the lowest possible sentence of three years.
Solicitor Mohamed Osman told the Mirror: “After I have received a copy of the judgement I can speak about the knowledge of Laura - that Tramadol is forbidden in Egypt - because Laura didn’t know.
“So we could speak about that point in an appeal. But this is not definite because I have still not read the reasons of the judge.”
Laura hopes she will be able to serve her sentence in a safer jail closer to the British Embassy in Cairo.
Her father Neville has already spent £40,000 of his pension as he and his family help with her appeal.
Sister Rachel, 31, told how the family fear it could take up to a year for her case to be heard.
She 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."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.