TWO British nurses, held for more than a year on murder charges in Saudi Arabia, could be released and back in the UK within the next fortnight.
The Saudi lawyer for Lucille McLauchlan, 32, from Dundee, and Deborah Parry, 39, from Hampshire, yesterday expressed optimism that King Fahd of Saudi Arabia could be set to pardon them.
Mr Salah al-Hejailan said he expected the nurses to be freed within the next 10 to 14 days, or sooner, after ''a very favourable consideration'' was shown for their release.
The families of both nurses yesterday said they were unaware of any movement towards an early release.
McLauchlan's father, Stan, said he had heard nothing about his daughter's possible early release.
A spokesman for both families added: ''We remain cautiously optimistic we will see the girls out before the summer.''
The two women have been in custody since December 1996, when they were accused of murdering fellow nurse, 55-year-old Australian Yvonne Gilford, in the King Fahd Medical Centre.
The nurses have always denied the killing, claiming their confessions made to Saudi officers were extracted under duress.
McLauchlan was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment and 500 lashes after being found guilty of being an accessory to the murder.
The Dundee nurse, who became the first foreign prisoner allowed to marry while in Saudi custody when she wed Mr Grant Ferrie last year, was awaiting a new sentence after appeal judges ruled it was too severe. Although it is believed there had been a verdict in the case of Parry, it was never publicly announced.
News of a possible early release for the pair emerged a week after Prime Minister Tony Blair made a four-day visit to the Middle East. During his first official visit to Saudi Arabia, he met Crown Prince Abdullah.
They are understood to have discussed a plea for clemency sent from the nurses' families to King Fahd, which authorities said ''would be treated sympathetically''.
Sources said the king was not swayed by Mr Blair's visit and his decision to release the nurses was influenced by Dr Ghazi Algosaibi, the Saudi ambassador to Britain.
Mr Algosaibi is understood to have repeatedly stressed the importance of the nurses' release in a bid to preserve good Saudi-Anglo relations.
A Foreign Office spokesman yesterday said officials were not aware of a possible pardon for the nurses. He insisted the situation had not changed since the Prime Minister's visit to Saudi.
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