‘Depressed & scared' pregnant Brit teen ‘smuggler' Bella Culley, 18, is staying SILENT in Georgian jail, lawyer reveals
BRITISH drugs suspect Bella May Culley, 18, is 'depressed, confused and scared' as she faces possible life imprisonment in Georgia, her lawyer has said.
The teenager from County Durham is accused of carrying cannabis into the Eastern European country.
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Bella May Culley appearing in court this week
Credit: East2West
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She faces possible life imprisonment in Georgia
Credit: East2West
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Georgian policemen stand guard in front of the prison of Rustavi, outside Tbilisi
Credit: AFP
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Bella May Culley had been missing in Thailand
Credit: NCJ Media
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Lawyer Ia Todua said: 'The detainee says that she is pregnant.
'She needs special examination and attention.
'In addition, in my assessment, she was depressed, confused and scared.'
Todua told RFE/RL: 'When the accusation was presented, given that it was a foreign environment for her, it was her first time communicating with law enforcement officers, we agreed on such a position that she should exercise her right to remain silent in order to develop herself.'
Todua revealed that Culley's father Neil was flying to Tbilisi.
Her dad
lives in
Vietnam
, has been travelling to the Eastern European nation to be by his daughter's side.
She was detained after drugs were allegedly found in her suitcase after arriving from Thailand.
It is possible that a separate legal team will be hired.
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The British embassy in Tbilisi said: 'We are assisting the family of the British woman detained in Georgia and are also in contact with the local authorities.'
Law enforcement is expected to contact the suspect 'in a few days' in her detention jail.
A report said that neither the Ministry of Internal Affairs nor the Customs Department of the Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance in Tbilisi say which country the British woman entered Georgia from, nor whether Georgia was her final destination.
Any onward travel plans have not been disclosed.
But Todua told RFE/RL that according to the case materials, Culley arrived in Georgia from Thailand and, according to her travel tickets, intended to stay in Georgia.
The suspect is accused of carrying 34 hermetically sealed packages containing marijuana as well as 20 packages of hashish into the ex-Soviet republic.
She was reported missing in Thailand - where
Her family raised the alarm after she failed to contact anyone since Saturday.
A loved-one said: "She is just a student - she doesn't really go out or do anything like that. She just wanted a break so took herself to Thailand.
"She must have become mixed up with someone. She must have met someone who has taken advantage of her."
Georgia's Interior Ministry says she could face 20 years or even a life sentence.
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