Brit teen 'drug mule' Bella Culley cries giving her side of story for first time
Suspected British drug smuggler Bella Culley sobbed today appearing in a Georgian court – claiming she had been 'forced by torture'.
The teenager faces life behind bars after being arrested earlier this year for allegedly taking cannabis into the ex-Soviet state. The 19-year-old appeared in court in capital Tbilisi on Tuesday where she cried – with a lawyer handing her a napkin for her tears.
She told the court: 'I didn't want to do this. I was forced by torture. I just wanted to travel. I study at the university… to become a nurse. All I wanted to do was to travel and this happened to me. I'm clean - I had nothing in my blood test. I wanted to make my family proud. Thanks for listening.'
The youngster's dad, Neil, and aunt were present. Bella's lawyer Malkaz Salakaia said his client was told she would be approached by some people in Tbilisi airport, but this did not happen as she was taken by the customs officer in Georgia. The lawyer asked Bella to show the court her hand with a bruise – apparently caused by an iron in Thailand.
Bella stood up, showing the court her right hand and cleared her tears before sitting down looking at her family. Mr Salakaia said his client was tortured with a hot iron on her right hand. Bella approached a policeman to seek help but he turned out to be part of the criminal group too, the lawyer told the court.
The Brit went missing in Thailand before turning up in Georgia in May, accused of taking in about 14kg of cannabis and hashish into the country. Her lawyer said there was no risk of her leaving the country, asking for bail but was denied.
The judge Lela Kalichenko told the court that Bella, from Bellingham on Teeside, is pregnant and had not committed any crime before. She seems young and the family supports her, the judge said. Bella says she was forced to take the case and did not know what was inside, the judge added. Bella left the court crying – and was told by her family: 'Try not to worry. Good girl.' She is due to appear in court again on 10 July.
Her newly-appointed lawyer Mr Salakaia previously said in May: 'We will defend her innocence at the court.'
At a meeting in May, her lawyer Mr Salakaia reportedly said he had to explain to Bella where she was geographically. He said Bella was in "good health" – but would not describe her as an adequate adult, the BBC reported.
Their first meeting was said to have lasted two hours. The lawyer said his client was ready to defend herself in court. Mr Salakaia said Bella does not have any complaints about the location of detention. Asked whether he would describe Bella as an adequate adult, he answered "no". His impression was that she was "not far from childhood". During the meeting, Bella was reportedly also giving evidence to investigators.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Western Telegraph
19 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Met Police chief says policing football matches across country costs £70m
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley called for a 'polluter pays approach' and questioned why organisers of events which require policing to support their security do not pay for it. It comes after Sir Mark called for the creation of 12 to 15 bigger police forces as part of what he described as 'the first serious reform of our policing model in over 60 years'. Writing in The Sunday Times, Sir Mark said the current system of 43 county forces had not 'been fit for purpose for at least two decades'. He added that bigger forces would be better able to utilise modern technology and would reduce 'expensive' governance and support functions. Sir Mark said: 'The 43-force model was designed in the 1960s and hasn't been fit for purpose for at least two decades. It hinders the effective confrontation of today's threats and stops us fully reaping the benefits of technology. 'We need to reduce the number of forces by two-thirds, with the new bigger and fully capable regional forces supported by the best of modern technology and making better use of the limited funding available.' He also characterised Chancellor Rachel Reeves' decision to increase police funding by 2.3% above inflation each year in the recent spending review as 'disappointing'. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley leaving BBC Broadcasting House after appearing on Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg (Jeff Moore/PA) Put to him on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg that he did not get the money that he had hoped for in the spending review and was already planning to cut 1,700 officers, then asked how many he is going to have to cut now, he said: 'So we've cut 1,600 over the last couple of years… 1,700 officers and staff this year, that 3,300 out of an organisation just over 40,000 is a big hit.' Sir Mark said they have not got all of the details on the spending settlement but he is 'nervous about whether we'll be able to make ends meet with that' which is why he is calling for police reform. Put to him that he had warned he would have to de-prioritise some crimes, and asked what the force will not investigate, Sir Mark said: 'So I don't want policing activity to fall off the list, and I know that the mayor and the Home Secretary have pushed hard for the most police funding that we can get. 'We are determined to improve day in and day out experiences of Londoners on the streets. We can only do that if we focus ruthlessly on police work. 'When new recruits join they expect they're going to spend most of their time protecting the public, enforcing the law, catching criminals. Within a couple of years 80% of them are saying 'I spend most of my time safeguarding the vulnerable, that's critical work, but that's not the core work of policing'. 'So we need help to cut away some of these areas where other pressed public services have effectively pushed work to the police. There are 80,000 missing children from children's home a year in the country. That is really problematic. 'It also falls elsewhere. Policing of football matches across the country, mainly Premier League, cost policing £70 million it doesn't get back from football clubs. In London, it's more than a third of that.' Sir Mark was asked how many officers he would have to cut (Jeff Overs/BBC) He said there should be a 'polluter pays approach' adding: 'If you're running a profit making event that because of the nature of it, requires security, requires policing to support your security because of the criminality that is going to be experienced, why isn't the organiser paying for that, rather than local communities who lose their resources to go to football matches?' Sir Mark said the police reforms are 'essential', adding: 'If we look at the spending on policing and public safety from the 80s through to the noughties, it was a much higher level than it is today. Over the last decade or more, the proportion that governments are prepared to put to policing is much lower. I don't see that changing dramatically. 'So we've got to make the best use of every pound that governments can give to us.'
Daily Mirror
3 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Ex-Premier League star's bombshell doping allegation leads to furious response
Allan Saint-Maximin made stunning claims against Fenerbahce after spending the season on loan in Turkey from Saudi Pro League club Al Ahli and the Super Lig club reject his allegations Fenerbahce will exercise all of their legal rights in order to dismiss Allan Saint-Maximin's claim that the club attempted to dope him last season. The Frenchman suggested that when he fell ill during last season, the Turkish side's staff gave him 'treatment that's considered a doping product', which the club have denied. The 28-year-old former Newcastle winger spent last season on loan at Fenerbahce from Saudi Pro League side Al Ahli. Saint-Maximin recorded four goals and five assists in 31 games and found some controversy. Fenerbahce have claimed Saint-Maximin distored the facts surrounding his treatment while speaking on the Zack Nani podcast. And the club appear to be looking to quickly hit back at the France international via legal routes. Fenerbahce released a statement that read: "By distorting the facts regarding the medical treatment he received following a health issue, the player has attempted to mislead the public and damage the reputation of our club. "As Fenerbahçe Sports Club, we hereby inform the public that we will exercise all our legal rights against these misleading statements and any attempt to undermine our institutional reputation." Offering his thoughts on Fenerbahce's 2024/25 campaigh, Saint-Maximin highlighted the club's alleged desire to dope him. The ex-Nice ace said boss Jose Mourinho gave everything in a bid to topple Galatasaray, who won the league by nine points - but did not suggest his manager was involved in his accusation. Saint-Maximin said: " Jose Mourinho (Fenerbahce manager) gave everything to be champions. But unfortunately, there are an enormous number of things that happen, things around the club that are really complicated. "To give you an example for me, they went so far as to want to dope me, to say how serious it is. These are things that people don't know. You don't speak out because someone is threatening you behind your back. It goes beyond football." Following the fallout from his comments, Saint-Maximin added on social media: 'I see it's going viral on Twitter, so I'll clarify what I said. I was talking about these people around the club who are prepared to do anything. In my case, when I was ill, I was practically given a treatment that is considered to be a doping product. I don't know what the purpose of this team of doctors was." Earlier in the year, Saint-Maximin played out a public spat with Mourinho. The tricky winger entangled in a war of words with his boss after being left out of the squad to face Rangers. After the Frenchman criticised the decision, Mourinho hit back that his charge was unfit and overweight. Saint-Maximin rubbished the suggestion and ultimately found his way back into Mourinho's plans before ending the season injured. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Wales Online
3 hours ago
- Wales Online
Rassie Erasmus makes shock Wales spying accusation as he tells Warren Gatland 'stop now'
Rassie Erasmus makes shock Wales spying accusation as he tells Warren Gatland 'stop now' The former Wales coach has once again spoken about accusations of spying by the Springboks during the 2021 Lions tour Former Wales head coach Warren Gatland and South Africa's Rassie Erasmus (Image: Getty Images) ) Rassie Erasmus has strongly denied allegations made by Warren Gatland that the Springboks spied on the British and Irish Lions during their 2021 tour of South Africa, labelling the claims as baseless and calling for an end to what he described as 'misinformation". Speaking after South Africa's 42-24 win over Italy at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, Erasmus, who also went on to accuse Wales themselves of spying in 2021, expressed his frustration over Gatland's accusations, which were detailed in the former Lions boss's latest column for The Telegraph. Gatland alleged that the Springbok camp rented a property overlooking the Lions' training facility and used a long-lens camera to film their preparations. He said suspicions within the Lions setup were confirmed when Lukhanyo Am produced a perfectly-timed hit on Elliot Daly during the opening Test. The former Wales coach also claimed Erasmus was seen on the pitch during a match, disguised as a water carrier, holding a sheet that appeared to include the Lions' attacking plays. 'One of the photographers captured a shot of him holding the paper next to Faf de Klerk,' Gatland wrote. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack for the exclusive five-week tour diary from Japan and Australia. Article continues below 'We enlarged the image after the game and it looked like some of our moves and calls were on that sheet.' Gatland said the Lions were so concerned they relocated training sessions indoors to avoid being watched. 'We just didn't know how they could have so much information on us,' he added. Erasmus initially responded with sarcastic posts on social media, but after the win over Italy, he addressed the issue directly and called on Gatland to put an end to the claims. 'It must stop now,' Erasmus said. 'If we're going to go through every bizarre and unlikely story, there'll be a lot more of these kinds of tales. 'I don't want people thinking this kind of thing actually happens in rugby. "There are always strange rumours around training sessions and coaches trying to outsmart each other, but this is different. To make such a serious claim in a newspaper based purely on hearsay is irresponsible. "It just creates unnecessary tension. I'd like us to move on and stop discussing it all together.' Erasmus actually went on to accuse Wales of spying in the autumn of 2021, however Gatland was not head coach at that time. Article continues below The Springboks were forced to evacuate their Cardiff hotel twice overnight before playing Wales and Erasmus has now claimed information had been taken when they returned. Responding to a WalesOnline social media post, Erasmus said: 'I hear from a source from within the Wales [sic] camp that whilst we were evacuated all our notes and plans were photographed and the white board sheets taken. 'We were again forced at around 06h00 for [sic] another evacuation!!'
