Pregnant British teenager appears in court in Georgia on drug smuggling charges
Bella Culley claims she was tortured in Thailand and forced to bring the drugs into Georgia when she flew into the country in May.
A pregnant British teenager facing serious drug smuggling charges in Georgia has told a judge: “I never thought something like this would happen to me.”
Bella Culley, 19, from Billingham, Teesside, has appeared in court in the capital Tbilisi where she is charged with importing cannabis in her luggage.
If found guilty, she faces up to 20 years’ or life imprisonment.
She denies the charges and claims she was tortured in Thailand and forced to bring the drugs into Georgia when she flew into the country in May.
The teenager’s lawyer Malkhaz Salakaia said: “The torture occurred before the transportation of the luggage, which she never touched.
“Specific individuals handled and checked in her luggage.”
Speaking directly to the judge at the hearing on Thursday, Culley said: “I never thought something like this would happen to me.”
Culley is pregnant and her mother Lyanne Kennedy, who was present in court, burst into tears when she heard that the baby was a boy.
The case was adjourned until September 2.
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