A MONMOUTH woman accused of assaulting a police officer is being held in a Portuguese prison “alongside murderers and drug smugglers”, her father has said.

Sophie Grey has been imprisoned near Lisbon since April, with her father, Roger Grey, saying he is becoming increasingly concerned at the situation.

According to Mr Grey, the 25-year-old, who was in the country visiting friends with her boyfriend when the incident occurred, is set to appear in court on September 22.

He says she was arrested after an altercation broke out between a police officer and her boyfriend, who is also being held in prison.

Since then, Mr Grey and other members of the family have been to see his daughter, but their primary day-to-day contact regarding the case is through a Portuguese solicitor who is representing her.

Mr Grey said the exact charges are unclear, but she has been charged with assaulting a policeman - which she denies.

He also said there is a charge relating to her dog biting an officer, a charge she also denies and says there is no evidence of.

He added: “On the charge sheet it says the maximum sentence is five years in prison, and she has already been on remand in prison for three months, so I am concerned.”

Monmouth MP David Davies has asked UK officials to look into the case.

He said: “She was in Portugal when the incident happened and has been in jail over there for over 10 weeks.

“In Britain it’s different because you are arrested then released and brought back before the courts. “They have said they won’t let her out until the thing goes to trial. It could even be six months before that,

“It is discriminatory. We are still part of the EU. As a previous police special constable I think this is outrageous. I have discussed this with Boris Johnson and I have spoken to the Portuguese ambassador about her treatment. Boris Johnson’s officials will look into it and I am generally trying to raise this matter.”

Mr Grey said attempted have been made to free his daughter, who is from Monmouth but has been living in the south of France for the last year-and-a-half, before the court date, but authorities have said she could abscond, even though they have confiscated her passport.

He added: “She is in prison with murderers and women jailed for drug smuggling. She is being treated reasonably well in prison and she is coping quite well, but I am worried about her mental state.

“I haven’t been very well myself, and this isn’t helping matters. It has caused a lot of worry and stress. We are all very concerned about Sophie.”

A Foreign Office spokesman confirmed they were aware of the situation.

He said: “We are continuing to support a British woman held in pre-trial detention in Portugal and remain in contact with the local authorities.”