Pregnant Brit ‘drug mule' Bella Culley facing 15 years in jail despite plea she was forced to smuggle £200k of cannabis
Bella, 19, was caught in the former Soviet state of Georgia in May with
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A Georgian prosecutor told The Sun that they have evidence the Brit 'acted with prior intent'
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Bella Culley seen in court at the beginning of July as her devastated family watched on
Credit: Supplied
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6
She is
But, speaking for the first time, Georgian prosecutor Vakhtang Tsaluqelashvili revealed that he plans to contest the pregnant teenager's claims.
And he added that the state has found evidence which
Mr Tsaluqelashvili told The Sun: 'We have evidence confirming that the defendant acted with prior intent.
read more on the case
'She passed through several
airports
, and at no stage did she display any such, let's say, position or behaviour that would make us think this was not an intentional crime.
'Among other things, at the moment of her arrest, she did not say anything of this kind to the Georgian customs officers either.
'Given the gravity of the offence committed, the minimum expected sentence is 15 years - even taking into account the mitigating circumstances.'
Bella got pregnant after a fling with an unidentified British man on the first leg of her
Most read in The Sun
The naive youngster from Billingham, Teesside, said she was forced to board a plane and never saw the baggage containing 31lbs of cannabis and hashish until she was arrested.
She also claimed she had no idea where
New CCTV of Brit 'mule' Bella May Culley 'smuggling £200k of cannabis' released as cops slam her claims she was coerced
But
Mr Tsaluqelashvil said a plea bargain deal between the prosecution and defence was still possible - but may still result in jail time or a suspended sentence plus a fine.
Her lawyer Malkhaz Salakaia said that a plea bargain for his client to return to Britain was "quite likely" adding the "opportunity has been mentioned several times".
Mr Salakaia told Tbilisi City Court yesterday: 'Bella has an obvious
health
condition - she is soon to be a mother to a baby boy and I want her to experience it while free.
'It's a pivotal moment in one's life, especially one so young. She is only 19.'
Mr Salakaia added: 'There was no malicious intent on Bella's part - she was pressured and forced and there is irrefutable evidence of that.
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She was caught at Tblisi International Airport with 30 pounds of marijuana and hashish in her luggage on May 10
Credit: Prime Time
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Bella's mum Lyanne Kennedy (centre) leaving court in Tbilisi on Thursday
"Her testimony contains even the names and last names of the individuals who forced her to
transport
it, she was threatened, as well as her family, including her mother who is present today.
'I want to underline that she didn't hand in the baggage - all she knows is that there is this luggage and she will be met by certain individuals once she arrives.
'The bag wasn't even locked, and it went through three countries and two continents, while Bella to this day is unaware whether Tbilisi is a country or a city.
'Bella didn't commit this crime and there is no grounds to doubt her testimony. I hope you are convinced your honor and knowing your past practice.
'I am sure she won't be found guilty."
Bella - who has been supported at hearings by her mum Lyanne Kennedy and
oil
rig worker dad Niel Culley - is due back in court in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on September 2.
Inside the dark world of Brit 'drug mules'
A SLEW of drug mule arrests involving Brits have emerged in the last few months.
In April and May,
Bella was the first after she allegedly tried to smuggle a suitcase of weed into Georgia.
Meanwhile, former air stewardess
Her two suitcases were said to have been stuffed with 46kg of a synthetic cannabis strain known as kush — which is 25 times more potent than opioid fentanyl.
If found guilty, South Londoner Charlotte could face a 25-year sentence.
As a young mum was detained in Germany for allegedly smuggling cannabis in her bags on a flight from Thailand - in yet another shocking case.
Glamorous Cameron Bradford, 21, from Knebworth, Herts, was detained at Munich Airport on April 21 as she tried to collect her luggage.
It comes as a Brit couple claiming to be tourists from Thailand have been busted with more than 33kg of cannabis in their suitcases at a Spanish airport.
The pair were picked out by suspicious cops at Valencia Airport after displaying a 'nervous and evasive attitude' and are now behind bars on drug trafficking charges.
Experts told The Sun how wannabe Brit Insta stars are being lured by cruel gangs into carting drugs across the world.
Then last month, a six-year-old British
The lad was picked up by customs officials along with his mum and five other Brits as they arrived on the tropical island.
Authorities branded the
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The Irish Sun
13 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Ex-beauty queen is shot dead in front of baby daughter and her partner amid explosion of drug cartel violence in Ecuador
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The Irish Sun
15 hours ago
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My daughter, 16, was murdered by stalker ex – then cops found out her own FRIENDS helped killer hatch ‘zombie' plot
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Man who stabbed woman to death as she slept confesses to her murder Eight months into Hannah and Prockner's relationship, Janet began to notice her daughter becoming withdrawn, and more worrying signs emerged. Janet told The Sun: 'Skylar had told her that if she ever broke up with him, he'd kill himself. Advertisement 'I recognised his threat as a classic control technique and tried to reassure her that it wouldn't happen and that if it did, he had bigger problems than her.' Eventually, Hannah broke things off, and Janet noticed her return to her usual, happier self and seemed relieved. She added: 'It was sad her first relationship had ended messily, but I was proud of how she'd set a boundary and refused to be controlled by a possessive boy. 'Is Hannah alive?' But Prockner wasn't prepared to let sleeping dogs lie, and in May that year, things took a more sinister turn. The 49-year-old said: 'He was essentially stalking her, pestering Hannah at school, on social media and her phone." 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Advertisement 'I wrote how lucky I was to be her mum in my eulogy, but was so upset it had to be read out by someone else." 'Skylar is still a danger' At first, Prockner denied the charges but in April 2016, 14 months after killing Hannah, he suddenly changed his plea to guilty of first-degree murder. The following July there was a three-day sentence hearing, where Prockner's lawyer described how he'd been physically and verbally abused by his own mother. Domestic abuse - how to get help DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone - including men - and does not always involve physical violence. 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If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers: on 0808 2000 247 for free at any time, day or night Men who are being abused can call Respect Men's Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 or on 0182 3334 244 Those who identify as LGBT+ can ring on 0800 999 5428 If you are in immediate danger or fear for your life, always ring 999 Remember, you are not alone. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime. Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse. Janet says: 'I sobbed in court as he [Prockner] described Hannah 'gargling in her own blood' when he killed her. 'He'd even boasted about it to his brother. Advertisement 'The mother in me pitied Skylar for his abusive background, but I knew people who'd had a tough childhood, and none of them hurt others.' 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Janet added: 'I believe Skylar will still be a danger when he is eventually released. 'People blamed video games and social media for the wicked silence of the Project Zombify gang. 'I don't think it was that. 'I think Skylar and his followers had too much freedom, too few responsibilities and had never faced consequences for their actions. Advertisement 'It worries me how many teens like that are out there nowadays. 'Now, all I can do is warn other women, especially young girls like Hannah, in their first relationships, to pay attention to those red flags. 'That possessiveness, jealousy and controlling behaviour is easily mistaken for the usual teen drama. 'It's not. It's a sign something's deeply wrong and a sign that your daughter, or son, needs to get out fast.'
The Irish Sun
16 hours ago
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We can't house people for five or six days." 23 The shelter was well ordered for the first few hours but descended into carnage Credit: KTVT-TV Advertisement 23 Hundreds begging to be allowed inside were turned away Credit: CNN But still today, many struggling to rebuild their lives blame government failure for the slow response and lack of aid - likening the widespread chaos that followed the storm to a war zone. Due to a series of systematic blunders, authorities struggled to work out a plan to evacuate them to safety. Prior to the storm, mandatory evacuation orders were issued but cops had struggled to move the poorest residents, who simply had no choice but to stay in their homes and hope for the best. Advertisement Hurricanes are common in that part of Louisiana, and Lynette Boute was among those who ignored the extreme weather warnings, preferring to stay and prepare for the city's iconic Mardi Gras festivities. 23 WWL reporter Thanh Truong stayed to describe the horrific situation Credit: Kurator/Tegna/WWL 23 Lynette Boutte survived the devastation of Hurricane Katrina Credit: National Geographic 23 Malik Rahim was among those with no choice but wait out the storm Credit: National Geographic Advertisement 'Every time this happens they try to make me leave,' she insisted. 'I said I'm not leaving my property.' But as the storm loomed the warnings became more severe and many attempting to flee had to turn back when traffic became gridlocked as the rain became torrential. Community organiser Malik Rahim added: 'Katrina hit at the worst time to be poor in America, by the end of the month you ain't got no money. 'What makes a disaster a tragedy? A tragedy is when we fail to do what we should be doing. Advertisement "And the first tragedy of Katrina was not being prepared, not having an exit strategy for the 100,000 people that we knew didn't have no means of escaping.' People said they felt abandoned by humanity. The only way I can describe it is the smell of human suffering Reporter Thanh Truong But even after the Category Five hurricane had passed over the city, flood water continued to rise at a terrifying rate and conditions quickly deteriorated. New Orleans is surrounded by a series of walls known as levees built to reduce the risk of flooding from lakes, canals and the Mississippi River - but the intensity of the storm smashed through the defences. While President Bush flew over in Air Force One and declared the situation a natural disaster, locals believed the situation was man made and could have been avoided. Advertisement They put the crisis down to the shoddy design and construction of the levees in the wake of Hurricane Betsy in the 1960s. As the levee walls collapsed, parts of the city flooded at an alarming rate, sweeping away hundreds of houses, and leaving thousands of terrified people trapped in theirs. 23 Residents tried to find refuge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 Credit: Global Imageworks, LLC. 23 Stranded residents gathered underneath motorway bridges Credit: KTVT-TV Advertisement 23 Eventually aid arrived and was distributed to residents Credit: CNN Resident Lucrece Philips said: 'Everything changed that day. 'We heard something that sounded like an explosion. That's when the water went from the bottom of the tyre of a car to the second floor of a house within twenty minutes.' The force of the water rushing through the levees was so intense it even knocked houses off their foundations, leaving them teetering on their edges. 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Advertisement Medical facilities were overloaded, there was no phone signal and the situation was declared critical. 23 An elderly woman is carried from the Superdome after gunshots were heard Credit: AFP 23 Plans to rebuild New Orleans have been slow to take effect Credit: KXAS-NBC 5 Collection/UNT Libraries Special Collections 23 A new levee system is designed to prevent another tragedy Credit: Lightbox Entertainment Inc. Advertisement It appeared that the police had lost control as violence broke out - and when police, helicopter pilots and SWAT teams were shot at, all rescue operations were abandoned. After five days, tens of thousands were still waiting, struggling for survival and sharing what scraps of food they could find until the armed National Guard relief convoy finally rumbled into town in tanks and armoured vehicles. 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