Boyfriend of Briton jailed in Egypt lost his job over cannabis
THE family of a British woman jailed for taking painkillers into Egypt for her boyfriend’s bad back have defended him – after it emerged that he was forced out of his job over a stash of cannabis.
The hashish was found in the room Omar Abdul Azim shared with other staff while working as a lifeguard at the Hilton Sharks Bay Resort.
It was at that hotel in Sharm El Sheikh, on the Red Sea coast, that Mr Azim, 34, also known as Omar Caboo and Omar Saad, met Laura Plummer.
Last week the 33-year-old shop assistant from Hull was jailed for three years after bringing 290 tramadol pills into the country in October.
She claimed that she did not know the painkiller was banned in Egypt and that she was bringing it for Mr Azim because he suffers from a bad back.
He was forced out of his job at the hotel three years ago, about a year after meeting Miss Plummer, following the discovery of the hashish. Bosses found it during routine room checks at a block of flats used by hotel workers in Alwaha, three miles from the resort.
A former colleague and fellow lodger said: ‘At least two people got fired over the hashish and Omar was one of them. It was in their room.’ Another former work friend said: ‘The police were not called because I think everyone felt it easier to not say anything. But they said the employees must go.
‘I don’t think it was very much hashish, a small kind of amount.’ Last night Miss Plummer’s sister Jayne Synclair, 40, said: ‘Omar is a very nice guy and everyone is blaming him for everything and we just feel sorry for him.
‘This happened a long time ago to Omar and nothing was proven. This shouldn’t be brought up when he was sharing a room at the time with five other guys.’
Mr Azim declined to comment.
Hashish – cannabis resin – is illegal in Egypt and possessing it can lead to hefty prison sentences, but it is used widely in the country recreationally.
The development came as Miss Plummer’s lawyer, Mohamed Osman, said he believes she could be released from prison later this year.
Her appeal could take place in five or six months, and he will argue that either she should be acquitted or that her sentence should be reduced to one year.
Even if it is cut to one year she could qualify for early release, Mr Osman said.