Pregnant British woman faces death penalty in Laos

Samantha Orobator, 23, was arrested last August at Wattay airport. Prosecutors claim she had 1.4lb (680 grams) of heroin in her bag, Telegraph says.

According to the campaign group Reprieve, she has not met a lawyer since she was arrested nine months ago, but it is believed that she denies the drugs were hers. In Laos the death penalty is mandatory for possession of over 500 grams of heroin.

The human rights group Reprieve says Miss Orobator, who was born in Nigeria but grew up in south London, has not had access to a lawyer yet but it has secured the right to meet with her Tuesday. However, that meeting may take place a day after the woman's trial begins.

Miss Orobator is five months pregnant, and the circumstances of her pregnancy remain unclear. She became pregnant in December, four months after she was arrested.