Appeal over pregnant Briton's trial

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Samantha Orobator, of south London, has been held in jail since last August after she was allegedly caught with 1.5lb of heroin at Wattay airport.

Reprieve is due to deliver a letter to Prime Minister Gordon Brown as he prepares to welcome the Lao deputy PM and minister for foreign affairs to London on Thursday.

In the letter, Reprieve's executive director Clare Algar writes: "Samantha is being held in deplorable conditions in the notorious Phongthong prison and is now five months' pregnant. It is indisputable that Samantha became pregnant whilst in prison."

She went on: "We still have grave concerns about the fairness of any legal process. It is imperative that the British Government make forceful representations to the Lao authorities to ensure that Samantha receives a fair trial and that she and her baby are safely returned to the UK."

Lao government spokesperson Khenthong Nuanthasing denied that Ms Orobator, 20, had been raped in prison.

He told ITV News: "It's impossible because the prison in Phonthong is specially created for women prisoners. Even the guards are all ladies."

Asked how Ms Orobator had become pregnant, he added: "We should know at a later stage. I want to know, too."

Earlier it emerged she had been allowed to see a doctor and an embassy official. The British Embassy's vice consul from neighbouring Thailand met Ms Orobator with a doctor on Wednesday, the Foreign Office confirmed.

The Lao authorities also agreed to provide a local lawyer. Anna Morris, a lawyer for Reprieve, is in Laos but has not been allowed to see Ms Orobator.