Andrew Drummond in Bangkok and Mark Townsend in London - The Observer, Sunday 2 August 2009
A Briton who is believed to have fathered a woman's baby in a Laos prison to save her from a death sentence has gone missing from the jail, prompting fears for his safety. John Watson was removed from Phonthong prison last week, according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which admits it has lost track of the whereabouts of the 47-year-old from Bradford, West Yorkshire.
Welfare groups say he has been secretly taken to a "punishment prison" in the capital, Vientiane, and his life is in danger. Watson is understood to have artificially impregnated Samantha Orobator, 20, with a syringe while they were in Phonthong prison together, so she could avoid the death penalty. She is expected to be flown home this week to serve her sentence in the UK.
Watson was taken from the jail by Laotian officials shortly before the arrival of Foreign Office minister Chris Bryant last Tuesday. The officials refuse to tell British diplomats where Watson is.
Inmates say he was taken to the notorious "black hole of Samkhe", an underground punishment cell in Samkhe prison. According to a welfare group, the Foreign Prisoners Support Service, the jail is renowned for torture. Kay Danes, who runs the service, said: "John said he would not survive if he was transferred. It's ironic that John gave a life to save a life and now his own life is seriously in danger. He has saved Samantha's life. Nobody gets transferred from Phonthong unless it's a punishment. Pro-democracy protesters go there and never come out."
Orobator faced the mandatory death sentence for trafficking 680g of heroin, but Laos does not execute pregnant women. Watson received a life sentence for trafficking in amphetamines, a lesser offence.
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