8 July 2003

                          Scipher plc ("the Company")                          

      Result of Extraordinary General Meeting and Placing and Open Offer       

On 12 June 2003 the Company announced a Firm Placing of 130,000,000 New
Ordinary Shares and Open Offer of up to 21,334,309 Open Offer Shares at 5p per
share to raise up to �7.57 million (before expenses). Qualifying Shareholders
were invited to apply for the Open Offer Shares on the basis of 1 New Ordinary
Share for every 5 Existing Ordinary Shares.

The Company also announced that it intended to transfer its listing from the
Official List to AIM.

Latest time for receipt of completed Application Forms and payment in full in
respect of the Open Offer was 3.00 p.m. on 3 July 2003. Of the 21,334,309 Open
Offer Shares available, valid acceptances have been received by Qualifying
Shareholders in respect of 20,750,318 Open Offer Shares, representing 97.26 per
cent. of the Open Offer Shares. The remaining 583,991 Open Offer Shares have
been placed by Evolution Beeson Gregory at a price of 5p per Ordinary Share.

At the EGM held at 4.00 p.m. yesterday the resolutions proposed and set out in
the notice dated 12 June 2003, principally concerning the Firm Placing and Open
Offer, were duly passed. Consequently the Company is pleased to announce that
the only remaining condition is admission of the Open Offer Shares and the
Existing Ordinary Shares to trading on AIM, which is expected to take place on
11 July 2003.

For further information, please                                              
contact:                                                                     
                                                                             
Scipher plc                                                                  
                                                                             
Dr Ken Gray, Chairman                  Tel: 020 8848 6555                    
                                                                             
Chris Mutter, Finance Director         Tel: 020 8848 6500                    
                                                                             
Michael Kendon, Investor Relations     Tel: 020 8848 6444                    
                                                                             
Evolution Beeson Gregory                                                     
                                                                             
Nick Rogers                            Tel: 020 7071 4389                    
                                                                             
Tim Redfern                            Tel: 020 7071 4312                    
                                                                             
Financial Dynamics                                                           
                                                                             
James Melville-Ross                    Tel: 020 7831 3113                    
                                                                             
Juliet Clarke                          Tel: 020 7831 3113                    

Words and expressions defined in the prospectus of the Company dated 12 June
2003 shall, unless the context provides otherwise, have the same meaning in
this announcement.



END