Teenager Breaks Down in Tears in Georgian Court, Claiming She Was Forced by Torture to Smuggle Drugs

Bella May Culley, a 19-year-old university student from Billingham, Teesside, broke down in tears in a Georgian court as she claimed she was "forced by torture" to smuggle drugs. The teenager is facing life imprisonment after her arrest for allegedly smuggling cannabis into Georgia earlier this year. During her court appearance in Tbilisi, Culley pleaded with the court, saying she was "forced by torture" and that she "just wanted to travel" to become a nurse.

Key Takeaways:

• Bella May Culley, a 19-year-old university student from Teesside, is facing life imprisonment in Georgia for allegedly smuggling cannabis and hashish into the country.
• Culley claims she was "forced by torture" to participate in the smuggling operation and was unaware of its contents.
• Her solicitor, Malkaz Salakaia, stated that his client was prepared to defend herself in court and had no complaints about the detention location.
• Culley's defence attorney detailed how his client had expected to be contacted by specific individuals at Tbilisi airport, but was instead detained by customs officers.
• Bella's family is in support of her, and her father and aunt were in attendance at her court appearance.
• Judge Lela Kalichenko noted that Bella is pregnant and has no previous criminal record.
• The court heard that Bella had been subjected to torture, including burns from a hot iron, and had sought help from a police officer who ended up being part of the criminal gang involved.
• Bella's solicitor argued that there was no risk of her fleeing the country and requested bail, but this was refused.

Statistics:

• 14kg of cannabis and hashish allegedly smuggled into Georgia.
• Bella May Culley is pregnant.
• 19 years: the age of Bella May Culley.
• £0 (no exact amount mentioned in the article regarding bail or costs).
• 2 hours: the duration of the initial meeting between Bella's solicitor and the investigators.
• 1 (there is one solicitor, Malkaz Salakaia, mentioned in the text).
• 1 (there is one judge, Lela Kalichenko, mentioned in the text).

Sources:

• Mirror
• BBC
• (Caption)