{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-c03aa079.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-517835be.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='A court in Laos found a pregnant British woman guilty of trafficking heroin and sentenced her to life in prison Wednesday.' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54bd34d8eafeecae132624' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54bd34d8eafeecae132624' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nA court in Laos found a pregnant British woman guilty of trafficking heroin and sentenced her to life in prison Wednesday.\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003e(HEADLINE:  Laos gives pregnant UK woman life sentenceCAPTION:  A court in Laos found a pregnant British woman guilty of trafficking heroin and sentenced her to life in prison Wednesday.  (June 3) [Notes:ANCHOR VOICE]  TWENTY-YEAR-OLD...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003e(HEADLINE:  Laos gives pregnant UK woman life sentence\u003cbr/\u003eCAPTION:  A court in Laos found a pregnant British woman guilty of trafficking heroin and sentenced her to life in prison Wednesday.  (June 3)\u003cbr/\u003e [Notes:ANCHOR VOICE]  \u003cbr/\u003eTWENTY-YEAR-OLD SAMANTHA OROBATOR'S (uh-ROH'-buh-tour) PREGNANCY SAVED HER LIFE, BUT SHE WILL LIVE OUT HER DAYS IN A LAOTIAN PRISON. A LAOTIAN COURT CONVICTED THE BRITISH WOMAN OF TRAFFICKING HEROIN --IT'S A VERDICT THAT COULD HAVE PUT HER IN FRONT OF A FIRING SQUAD.\u003cbr/\u003e[Notes:6. SOUNBITE (English) Daniel Painter, Second Secretary, British Embassy in Thailand:]\u003cbr/\u003e\"The sentence was a life sentence and she was convicted for smuggling drugs, but it was reduced from death penalty, which it what it would have been under Lao law, because of her pregnancy.\" \u003cbr/\u003eDATELINE: Vientiane - 3 June 2009\u003cbr/\u003e1. Wide exterior of Vientiane courthouse\u003cbr/\u003e2. Convicted British woman Samantha Orobator escorted out of court house to prison van\u003cbr/\u003e3. Various of van leaving courthouse\u003cbr/\u003e4. Mid of security\u003cbr/\u003e5. Various of Samantha's mother Jane Orobator walking with British consular official Daniel Painter\u003cbr/\u003e6. SOUNBITE (English) Daniel Painter, Second Secretary, British Embassy in Thailand:\u003cbr/\u003e\"The sentence was a life sentence and she was convicted for smuggling drugs, but it was reduced from death penalty, which it what it would have been under Lao law, because of her pregnancy.\"\u003cbr/\u003e7. Mid of security\u003cbr/\u003eThe Associated Press.\u003cbr/\u003eANCHOR VOICE: DKepley\u003cbr/\u003eVIDEO PRODUCER: NHawkins\u003cbr/\u003eVIDEO SOURCE: AP - GVW/ AP Images\u003cbr/\u003eVIDEO APPROVAL: DBruns\u003cbr/\u003eAP Photo SL106, SL101, SL105, SL104\u0026lt;\u003cbr/\u003e   VIENTIANE, Laos (AP) _ A court in Laos found a pregnant British woman guilty of trafficking heroin and sentenced her to life in prison Wednesday, a court official said.\u003cbr/\u003e   The life sentence for 20-year-old Samantha Orobator came after a one-day trial in the Lao capital, according to Chanthaly Duangvilai, vice president of the Vientiane Court.\u003cbr/\u003e   Orobator pleaded guilty, the court official said at a press briefing after the trial, adding that she named several of her alleged accomplices in her testimony. She was the only defendant in the case.\u003cbr/\u003e   Heroin trafficking is punishable by death, but she was spared because Lao law does not allow the execution of pregnant women, said Chanthaly.\u003cbr/\u003e   Under a pact signed last month by Laos and Britain that still needs ratification, Orobator could be extradited to serve her time in Britain. Lao officials, however, could still veto her return.\u003cbr/\u003e   Orobator had been jailed since last August, but her plight drew public attention only last month after the British legal charity Reprieve publicized her circumstances and what they believed was the possibility she could be executed by firing squad if found guilty.\u003cbr/\u003e   The case attracted particular interest because Orobator became pregnant while incarcerated. Lao officials have asserted that she may have artificially inseminated herself while behind bars.\u003cbr/\u003e   \"We're relieved that the trial has taken place. We're hoping the British government will get her home as soon as possible for the health of her and her baby,\" said Katherine O'Shea, a Reprieve spokeswoman. \u003cbr/\u003e   Orobator arrived in court wearing a blue prison outfit and smiling to reporters. She was escorted by female prison guards but was not in handcuffs or ankle chains.\u003cbr/\u003e   Her mother also attended the trial by a three-judge panel, as did several British consular officials. Security around the courthouse was tight.\u003cbr/\u003e   Her mother looked visibly distressed leaving court after the trial, but Orobator appeared calm.\u003cbr/\u003e   \"We are seeking access to Samantha to discuss her future options,\" said Daniel Painter, a spokesman for the British Embassy in Thailand who attended the trial. Britain does not maintain an embassy in Laos.\u003cbr/\u003e   It is up to Orobator and her state-appointed lawyer to decide within 21 days whether to appeal the sentence and whether to apply for repatriation.\u003cbr/\u003e   Police said they found 1.5 pounds (680 grams) of heroin in 68 capsules on Orobator's body when she was arrested at Vientiane airport on her way to Australia, though Reprieve said the drugs were found in her luggage.\u003cbr/\u003e   After Reprieve voiced its concerns about the possibility of Orobator being executed, the Lao government confirmed that under the country's criminal law, a pregnant woman cannot receive the death penalty.\u003cbr/\u003e   However, officials delayed her scheduled trial date in May because of questions about how she became pregnant.\u003cbr/\u003e   According to Lao officials, Nigerian-born Orobator initially told authorities she was pregnant by her boyfriend in England, but tests after she was arrested showed no signs of pregnancy. It was not until March 2 that a hospital test showed she was pregnant, verified by a second test April 4, police said. That meant she must have gotten pregnant while in prison, they said.\u003cbr/\u003e   Orobator's mother recently said her daughter had not been raped by prison officials or fellow prisoners, as some media had speculated.\u003cbr/\u003e   The Vientiane Times on Tuesday quoted police as saying Orobator told authorities she secretly obtained sperm from a fellow prisoner to impregnate herself to avoid the death penalty. The state-run newspaper did not name the sources or give other details.\u003cbr/\u003e   Orobator was in jail and so could not be reached to respond to the newspaper account. 6/3/2009 10:54 AM\u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='action-container flex justify-between'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' aria-label='Read more description' class='rp-full-description' type='button'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cspan id='read_more'\u003eRead More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-report'\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='resource-details-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='resource-details-heading'\u003eResource Details\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-resource-details clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eCurator Rating\u003c/dt\u003e\n\u003cdd\u003e\u003cspan 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