Pregnant teen Bella May Culley appears in Georgia court on drug charges as baby's gender revealed
Bella May Culley, from Billingham, was denied bail at the hearing on Thursday (24 July) in Tbilisi which was told the 18-year-old found out yesterday that she was expecting a baby boy.
She is accused of drug trafficking, which carries up to 20 years, or life imprisonment, after being arrested in May.
Culley denies the offence and her defence told the court that she maintains she was forced into cooperation.
They cited a mark on her wrist as evidence of physical abuse while the lawyer claimed that the criminals were intimidating her by threatening the lives of her young brother and mother.
Georgian authorities released this footage which they say said in May showed a British citizen being led into a police station
It is also their case that she was not the one who checked in the bag containing drugs and that Culley tried communicating with the airport staff but she was being watched.
The defence team has handed over names, addresses and descriptions of the individuals who they claim forced her to commit the crimes, the court heard.
She was told that somebody would meet her at the airport to grab the bag but the lawyer claims that those involved have already left Georgia.
Culley herself spoke briefly during the hearing, which was also attended by her mother who made a heart with her hands.
'Gamarjoba (Hello in Georgian), she said. "I hope you can understand my story through my eyes.
"I never thought something like that would happen to me. Madloba. (Thank you in Georgian).'
Culley was reported missing in Thailand. An appeal for information was then shared on Facebook by her family and friends.
They said they were "worried sick" after not hearing from her for three days and said she had last been seen in the Pattya area of the country where she had been on holiday.
It was then confirmed on 14 May that a British citizen had been arrested on charges of drug trafficking by the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
It said she was "charged with illegally purchasing and storing a particularly large amount of narcotics, illegally purchasing and storing the narcotic drug marijuana, and illegally importing it into Georgia".
The statement also said: 'Law enforcement officers, as a result of defendant's luggage inspection at Tbilisi International Airport, seized a particularly large amount of the narcotic drug "marijuana", up to 12 kilograms and 2.068 kg of the narcotic drug "hashish" as evidence.'
At the hearing today, Culley began to cry as the prosecution said there was no new evidence changing the state of her case.
They added that without her being detained, she posed a flight risk and was at danger of repeating offences.
The case was adjourned until Tuesday 2 September.
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