Welsh mum 'in good spirits' as drug trafficking charge is dropped

A WELSH mother of two facing drug trafficking charges in Malaysia no long

er faces the prospect of death by hanging if found guilty, it is understood.

A WELSH mother of two facing drug trafficking charges in Malaysia no long

er faces the prospect of death by hanging if found guilty, it is understood.

Shivaun Orton, 41, of Harlech in North Wales and her husband, Abdul Harris
Fadilah, have been held in a Malaysian prison on remand since they were arr
ested shortly before Christmas.

Police raided the beach resort the couple ran in the northern state of Terngg
anu and reportedly seized drugs worth an estimated 16,000.

Shivaun pleaded not guilty to eight charges of drug trafficking and possessin
g cannabis, amphetamine and heroin at a hearing in January.

Under Malaysian law, possessing more than 15g of heroin carries the death
penalty.

She was due to make a court appearance today but this evening, a member o
f Shivauns family who have begun a Facebook campaign in support of her p
osted this message: Shivaun and Harris did not go to court today as a chem
ical report showed that there was less than 15g of heroin so the lawyer had t
he trafficking charged dropped- this means they no longer face the death pe
nalty - they will still face the other charges at a court appearance in May.

Shivaun Orton is said to be in good health and seeing her sons Jacob, 16, an
d Isaac, 14, on a regular basis.

Her brother Daniel said the family have been in contact with the Foreign Offi
ce. He said: The Foreign Office have said Shivaun is in good spirits.
Her family say she is a victim of a controlling marriage.