Two prison officers have been sent to jail by a court in northern Vietnam for helping a woman on death row get pregnant, according to an official Thursday.

The People's Court of Hoa Binh City found Nguyen Thuyen and Bui Van Quyet guilty of allowing a male prisoner visit 40 year old Nguyen Thi Oanh to have sex so that she could become pregnant and take advantage of a Vietnamese law which states that pregnant women and those with children under three cannot be put to death.

Earth Times reports chief judge of the court Nguyen Viet Long saying: "Thuyen and Quyet were charged with abusing power while on duty and they pleaded guilty at the trial."

"The two officers opened Oanh's cell many times for a male prisoner to get in and have sexual intercourse with her at least five times after Thuyen took1.5 million dong ($100) from Oanh's sister."

Oanh had been put on death row in April 2006 after being found guilty of smuggling up to seven kilograms of heroin and 26 kilograms of amphetamine tablets in 2004. She gave birth to a baby boy in March this year at a clinic in the detention centre.

Her case has generated much interest in Vietnam and is believed to be the first of a female death row prisoner avoiding execution as a result of pregnancy in the country.

The Associated Press reports court official Hoang Thuy Linh saying: "It was the most unusual case I have ever seen."

"Many people came to the trial out of curiosity, just to see what the woman and her baby looked like."

Onah's sentence was reduced to life in prison after she became pregnant in 2006. Her baby will be with her in prison until she stops breastfeeding after which her family will take him.

Thuyen and Quyet have been sentenced to prison for five and three-and-half years respectively.