British woman Laura Plummer facing 'living hell' in Egyptian jail

A woman jailed for three years for smuggling banned painkillers into Egypt has been transferred to one of the country's notorious prisons.

Laura Plummer's mother discovered her daughter had been moved when she went to visit her in police custody in Cairo on Wednesday morning.

The shop worker was convicted on Boxing Day of importing 320 Tramadol tablets into the country for her boyfriend, who has back pain.

The opiate is illegal in Egypt but available on prescription in the UK.

The Foreign Office has now said it is looking into the possibility that she could be moved to a different prison.

Laura's sister Jayne Synclair has described the conditions in which she was held before her trial as a "living hell" and fears they will be even worse in jail.

Until now, Laura's family has been paying someone to take her food three times a week because she "doesn't have the character" to fight her way to a share of food which is thrown on to the cell floor once a day.

Female prisoners are held 25 to a cell with a small hole in the floor as a toilet.

Ms Synclair told Sky News that Laura had been subjected to intimidation by the other prisoners.

The family are to appeal against her conviction but under Egyptian law have to wait 60 days before they can apply to the court.

The 33-year-old from Hull was arrested as she arrived in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada in October.

The family said a friend gave Ms Plummer the Tramadol tablets, which were found by customs officials as she arrived for a holiday with her partner on 9 October.

Her lawyer told Sky News that the idea she was a drug trafficker was illogical as she made no attempt to conceal what she was transporting.

Her family had been told that she could face up to 25 years in jail, with one lawyer even mentioning the death penalty.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We will continue to provide assistance to Laura and her family following the court ruling in Egypt, and our embassy is in regular contact with the Egyptian authorities."