News correspondent
News, North East and Cumbria
Rustavi 2A British teenager on trial for drug smuggling charges in Georgia has told the court she hopes they will be able “to see my story through my eyes”.
Bella Culley, 19, from Billingham, Teesside, appeared at Tbilisi City Court earlier and said: “I never thought that something like that would happen to me.”
Miss Culley could face up to 20 years in jail or life imprisonment if convicted.
During the court session, which only lasted 30 minutes, she exchanged regular looks and smiles with her mother Lyanne Kennedy.
The teenager is pregnant and went through medical tests in recent days, with her mother becoming emotional in court after learning the gender of her unborn grandchild.
The prosecutor repeated the charges against Miss Culley.
Reading from a piece of paper, he detailed the quantity of illegal drugs found in her suitcase.
Miss Culley’s lawyer was then given the floor.
He said there was no evidence she had any intention of breaking the law.
“There were people who forced my client to commit this unknowingly,” he said.
Miss Culley concluded by saying “madloba”, which means “thank you” in Georgian.
The next court hearing is due to take place in September, unless a plea deal can be reached before.
“I’ll come and see you tomorrow, I love you,” said Ms Kennedy, who was visibly upset by the hearing being adjourned for several weeks.
Her daughter will remain in prison until then.
Rayhan Demytrie/Miss Culley initially went missing in Thailand before being arrested at Tbilisi International Airport on 10 May.
She had been detained for 61 days before the hearing while the prosecution investigated where the 12kg (26lbs) of marijuana and 2kg (4.4lbs) of hashish, found in a travel bag, came from, and whether she was planning on handing it over to someone else.
Miss Culley had previously claimed she had been “forced to do this through torture”.
“I just wanted to travel,” she said. “I am a good person. I am a student at university. I am a clean person. I don’t do drugs.”
Georgian Police said officers had seized the narcotic drugs marijuana and hashish in a travel bag at Tbilisi International Airport.
It is understood that Miss Culley arrived in Tbilisi on a flight from Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, on 10 May.
The has been told the British Embassy has advised the teenager’s family not to speak to the press.
