A CONSERVATION expert from North Yorkshire is in a coma on life support after she was infected with a virus in Thailand.

Sophie Williams, a lecturer at Bangor University, is in a Bangkok hospital after being struck down with Japanese encephalitis while conducting research in South West China earlier this month.

Her father Mike, owner of Castlegate News in Malton, said family and friends now faced an anxious wait to discover what the outcome will be for the 31-year-old.

His daughter, a former pupil at Norton College pupil and head girl at Lady Lumley’s School in Pickering, was said to be in a critical condition.

“She has still to regain consciousness. We should know more at the end of the week,” he said.

Sophie, a highly-respected conservation expert who has given talks around the world, was undertaking botanical research with students from Bangor University 400 miles from the city of Kunming when she began to feel ill on July 6.

“She complained about feeling very tired and of headaches and nausea,” said Mr Williams.

“She was then found unconscious and rushed to the local hospital in her area. The hospital identified that she had encephalitis, but didn’t know what type.

“It was then felt they couldn’t offer the level of care that was needed so the decision was made to airlift her to Bangkok where she could receive specialist help. After numerous scans and tests, she was diagnosed with Japanese encephalitis, which is a serious strain of the condition.”