EXCLUSIVE British 'drug mule's' lawyer hits back at Thai police for trying to discredit her claim crooks forced her to smuggle narcotics into Georgia as they push for plea bargain
Malkhaz Salakaia said CCTV released this week showing the pregnant teenager calmly passing through checks in Bangkok Airport proved nothing.
It comes after her trial was postponed immediately after it began due to issues concerning evidence.
Police Major General Cherngron Rimphadee shared the images and said Bella 'left without giving any signal or indication that she needed help, contrary to her claims.'
He said: 'This matter is not complicated.
'Police have reviewed CCTV footage and confirmed that she used a British passport to exit through the automatic passport control channel.
'As a result, she did not interact with or speak to any immigration officers and simply exited the country.
But Mr Salakaia insisted his client 'tried to signal' to authorities 'without being noticed' by gang members watching over her before she boarded a flight.
'I fail to see how that's substantial,' he said of the images. 'Of course they are going to say that.
'What hasn't been said or shown is the fact that the people who brought and handed in this baggage were still nearby and she couldn't communicate openly.
'She tried to signal it to them, without being noticed herself, that it wasn't her baggage but wasn't paid any attention.'
Bella has claimed that she was ' forced under torture' to smuggle the drugs from Thailand to Georgia after being shown decapitation videos by a British gang in Bangkok.
She also said she was burned with an iron and the lives of her families were threatened.
The Teesside teenager said she approached Thai police on the streets of Bangkok and asked for help, but they returned her to the gang. Again in the airport she tried to signal to officers to get help, but was ignored.
Mr Salakaia spoke after the 19-year-old's latest court hearing in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, where he is pushing to reach a plea deal that could see her returned to Britain.
Bella was stopped at Tbilisi Airport and found with 446g of tetraphenol cannabinol and 11.2kg of cannabis on May 10. If convicted she could face up to 20 years in jail.
Mr Salakaia said: 'The sides have entered the phase of negotiation over the plea bargain, to see whether this could be an eventual option.
'We haven't reached an agreement yet. Our position is the release of my client and paying a fine. We'll see where we end up after negotiations.'
Bella appeared visibly pregnant as she entered Tbilisi City Court dressed in a pink shirt, black trousers and with her hair in a bun.
Her father Niel Culley, 49, had travelled for the hearing and told his daughter to 'stay strong'.
Asked if she would like to plead guilty, not guilty, or exercise her right to silence, Bella glanced at her lawyer and whispered: 'Yes?' Mr Salakaia shook his head, and Bella chose to remain silent.
Both sides agreed to continue negotiating terms for a potential plea bargain and a further hearing was scheduled for July 24 where a trial date is expected.
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