British woman sentenced to 3 years in prison in Egypt after attempting to bring her boyfriend medication for his back pain

A British woman has been sentenced to three years in prison in Egypt after allegedly attempting to smuggle painkiller tablets into the country to relieve her partner's back pain, The Telegraph reports. Laura Plummer, 33, was caught with 290 tablets of Tramadol, which is illegal in Egypt —The Independent describes it as a potential "substitute for heroin" — but it can be obtained legally in the U.K.

Plummer's family describes her as "naïve," and her parents told the Daily Mail that she was in "very bad spirits" prior to the trial. "As a father I just feel helpless when I hear that my daughter has said she would prefer someone let her out and slit her throat," Neville Plummer said.

On Monday, Plummer reportedly "sobbed in the courtroom in Hurghada after she became overwhelmed with emotions and accidentally pleaded guilty to the offense," The Telegraph reports. Her lawyer reportedly plans to lodge an appeal of her sentence.

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