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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to hope the Foreign Office don't waste any time on Laura Plummer...

684 replies

PiffleandWiffle · 26/12/2017 22:09

She was stupid enough to smuggle drugs into a country against their laws, got caught & got sentenced.

BBC Link

Cue the predictable wailing & cries of "it's not fair" from the family!

Personally, I'd rather the Foreign Office spent it's time trying to help people who are genuinely in trouble abroad rather than idiots drug smugglers....

OP posts:
cathyclown · 26/12/2017 23:12

I will repeat the LOVE RAT theory.

It is endemic in such countries. But anyway. I feel the lady was manipulated or sorry, two sandwiches short of the proverbial picnic now.

Graphista · 26/12/2017 23:13

Froshie that's very arrogant does being British mean she should somehow be above the law? No far from it - the opposite in fact because we have clear regular information provided by our govt that you don't do shit like this!

froshiechipandbrickie · 26/12/2017 23:20

Graphista

That’s not what I wrote. And anyhow, I myself am not even British. So no, being from the U.K. obviously doesn’t make a person superior imo.

Lunde · 26/12/2017 23:21

Has it been reported which tablet size she had? Tramadol comes in 50mg, 100mg, 150mg and 200mg.

When I went to Ireland I had to get a chemist certificate showing that I had legally been prescribed my tramadol and morphine tablets. Her case that she got these tablets from a friend and just took them to her bf without them being prescribed to her or bf just sounds very dodgy.

WaxOnFeckOff · 26/12/2017 23:25

being British is an simply a result f being lucky enough to be born here and have parents who were (or there are of course other, less common ways). It doesn't make you any better or more deserving of humane treatment than anyone else. It's like the lives of other nationalities don't matter Confused.

I always get that feeling every time there is a tragedy and it only seems newsworthy if someone British has been involved. I get that it's obviously of more interest to people here as they may know the people involved, but it always comes across as if the local people don't matter.

Anyway, back to the original post :) I think the sentence is fair and on the lenient side. She was either completely aware and naive or completely aware and complicit. Either way she tried to smuggle drugs in profit in terms of cash or kudos with her "boyfriend". She needs to suck it up.

Graphista · 26/12/2017 23:27

The implication in this context is that because she's British she deserves interventions and support and that's it is oh too harsh for her to have to serve her time in the country she was caught in Hmm

Loadedllama · 26/12/2017 23:35

I agree that her being a British Citizen doesn’t mean to foreign office should be fighting her cause. She sounds hapless at best and criminal at worst. I don’t believe her boyfriend wanted them for his bad back. If he was in such severe pain to warrant such a strong painkiller why would he not be prescribed something appropriate by his own doctor?

CaptainMarvelDanvers · 26/12/2017 23:36

Some people don’t think about what would happen if they get caught because they’re dim enough to think that it won’t ever happen to them, until it does and they are dumbfounded by the situation they have landed themselves in.

froshiechipandbrickie · 26/12/2017 23:37

Graphista

That’s not what I meant to imply, no.
human rights organisation and various news sources have reported various deaths, human rights violations and an appalling lack of hygiene in Egyptian prisons. Which no human being should be forced to endure (yes, not even the ‘stupid ones’... Hmm) And in the case of this human being the British foreign office might be able to prevent that from happening.

EachandEveryone · 26/12/2017 23:43

Whoever said the sister is glam for Hull clearly doesnt know Hull women! Did you see her mum?? Clearly not letting her face slip.

Shankarankalina · 26/12/2017 23:51

I wonder if she will face any charges in the U.K. if it is uncovered how she procured 290 tablets?

I wouldn't wish her situation on anyone. She's in for an horrendous time, I imagine.

hmmwhatatodo · 26/12/2017 23:56

I will admit to knowing little about Hull, I always assumed it was rather dull. I now think it’s the glitz capital of the UK. Why are all the photos of the family and especially of Laura Plummer herself portraying them as a family who seem to do nothing but get dressed up? I don’t think there are any photos of her not wearing some random skimpy outfit.

LegallyBrunet · 26/12/2017 23:56

The thing bothering me is that surely her husband must have known that asking her to bring Tramadol into the country was illegal, so why on earth did he ask her to do it in the first place? Especially in such a large quantity?

WaxOnFeckOff · 26/12/2017 23:56

She doesn't look like she doesn't have any access to the internet either. If your average person was asked to take something like that into another country, I'm sure a quick google would provide information as to the legality of doing so. She had plenty of opportunity to avail herself of the law.

MissEliza · 26/12/2017 23:57

I lived in Egypt for several years and I saw many British women manipulated by Egyptian men and I feel this woman was the same. I am sure he was planning to sell them but she thought they were for his own use. How could she imagine that Tramadol is banned in Egypt? I lived there and visit it twice a year and I don't know that. Even her lawyer pointed out in court that it's not on Egypt's official list of banned substances.
I'm sure she won't serve 3 years. Apparently 3 prison years in Egypt is 9 months so that's 27 months. I imagine she'll be transferred back to England before that.

WaxOnFeckOff · 26/12/2017 23:58

The thing bothering me is that surely her husband must have known that asking her to bring Tramadol into the country was illegal, so why on earth did he ask her to do it in the first place? Especially in such a large quantity?

Money. Of course he knew it was illegal and I'm pretty sure she did too, so she either did it so that he would love her more or she was in it for the money too. Stupid woman either way.

juliesaway · 26/12/2017 23:59

Tramadol is a Class C controlled substance and is illegal to give away to family or friends even in the UK. She knew what she was doing was wrong or else is just as thick as mince.

Butterymuffin · 27/12/2017 00:00

surely her husband must have known that asking her to bring Tramadol into the country was illegal

Oh, he'll have known all right. So however genuine his 'bad back' is (I'm dubious) or whatever knowledge she had about the drug, what we can tell is that he didn't mind Laura taking the risk of imprisonment. What a charmer.

Ontheboardwalk · 27/12/2017 00:02

For me the issue is thatbshe illegally got hold of the 300 tablets and tried to smuggle them in. She wasn’t prescribed them

Saying that I would hope that the British Embassy helps anyone in need abroad. It can be a scary place.

Should it refuse to help pissed up people who get locked up? Yes I know it’s not illegal but it’s still a bad judgement.

If im a dick for any reason I would like help from the UK

MissEliza · 27/12/2017 00:05

He wasn't even her husband. They had an 'Orfi' marriage which is basically a way for Muslims to have sex without it being adultery. Basically you just write a bit of paper saying eg MissEliza is my wife. The woman gets no rights or protection and it's socially unacceptable in Egypt. If she agreed (as many British girls do) she's a complete mug which explains buying the Tramadol story.

Graphista · 27/12/2017 00:08

Froshie I'm well aware of that but really the easy way to avoid ending up in a hellhole foreign prison - don't smuggle drugs!

Campaigning for conditions to improve and human rights abuses to be addressed - separate issue.

Frankly OUR prisons and judicial system far too bloody lenient/cushy!

froshiechipandbrickie · 27/12/2017 00:12

Yes... as I said, that was very stupid. But it still doesn’t mean that someone deserves to be stuck in a place known for human rights abuses.

As for your remark about our prison system. That’s an entirely different discussion.

Graphista · 27/12/2017 00:18

Drug dealers/smugglers are among the lowest of the low as far as I'm concerned. As I said I've been following this story this woman has taken NO responsibility for her actions AT ALL her family are making her out to be some kind of bloody Martyr ffs!

So we'll have to disagree.

and my comment on uk prisons IS relevant because that's the comparative - a cushy, comfortable, lenient system where prisoners pretty much get whatever they want.

lalalalyra · 27/12/2017 00:19

I don't think lots of money should be spent helping her out. It was the same with the ones in Peru. If you break drug laws then you risk prison, and if you do that in places with shitty prisons then more fool you. It shouldn't be down to taxpayers to get you moved to prisons at home.

She must have known there was a reason her husband needed her to obtain the tramadol, as opposed to him just going to his doctor, and take it over so she can't have been totally clueless.

WaxOnFeckOff · 27/12/2017 00:21

Ignorance of the law is no defence. She was not without resources to establish the legalities of her actions. No-one put it in her bag without her knowledge. I'm happy for the Egyptian taxpayers to pay for her keep for the next 3 years.

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