Lawyer denied access to see pregnant woman

A PREGNANT woman facing trial for alleged drug smuggling was not allowed to meet a legal representative yesterday, prompting further anguish for her Dublin-based mother who is demanding her release.

Samantha Orobator, a 20-year-old from London, has been in prison in Laos since her arrest on charges of smuggling heroin last August, and is five months’ pregnant after allegedly being raped while in custody.

A legal expert from the British legal aid organisation Reprieve was due to meet Samantha at Phonthong Prison, the first time she would have had contact with any legal representation since her arrest.