Laos Briton 'impregnated herself'

Samantha Orobator's trial, originally scheduled for early May, had been delayed while authorities tried to determine how she could have become pregnant inside the prison.

The 20-year-old was arrested last August, but her case didn't draw international attention until news of her pregnancy became public and concerns initially grew that she could be executed by firing squad if found guilty.

Under criminal law in Laos, a pregnant woman cannot receive the death penalty.

According to Lao officials, Orobator initially told authorities she was pregnant by her boyfriend in Britain, but tests showed no signs of pregnancy.

It was not until March 2 that a hospital test showed she was pregnant, verified by a second test on April 4, police said. That meant she must have become pregnant while in prison.

Orobator's mother recently said her daughter had not been raped by prison officials or fellow prisoners, as some media had reported.

The Vientiane Times quoted police as saying Orobator told authorities she secretly obtained sperm from a fellow prisoner to impregnate herself to avoid the death penalty. The newspaper did not name the sources or give other details.

Orobator was in jail and so could not be reached to confirm or deny the newspaper account. Orobator's mother Jane has said her daughter told her that she had not been sexually assaulted while in prison and that the father of her unborn child was not a Lao prison official.

But Jane Orobator did not reveal the identity of the father.