British woman accused of drug offences appears in Sri Lanka court
A British woman accused of attempting to smuggle a large quantity of cannabis into Sri Lanka has appeared in court in the country.Charlotte May Lee, 21, from south London, was arrested earlier this month after authorities allegedly found 46kg of the drug in her suitcases when she arrived on a flight from Thailand. She has not yet been charged, but has previously denied knowing the alleged drugs were in her luggage. If found guilty, she could face up to 25 years behind bars.Speaking to the BBC from prison before her court appearance, Ms Lee said she had travelled from Bangkok to the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo to renew her Thai visa.
The former flight attendant arrived at Negombo Magistrate's Court on Friday wearing a white knee-length dress, her long hair parted to the side. She was making a procedural court appearance while the investigation into her alleged offences continues. Ms Lee was held in a cell at the back of the courtroom before being brought to the witness box. She was visibly upset as she stood with her hands crossed behind her back, facing the magistrate.Authorities wheeled in a large brown box containing the alleged 46kg of cannabis found in Ms Lee's luggage. The narcotics division of the Sri Lanka police told the court they intend to file an update on the investigation. Ms Lee's lawyer, Sampath Perera, asked if the alleged drugs had been examined by the relevant government authorities to ascertain if the materials were in fact an illegal substance. The magistrate ordered it to be tested and for a report to be submitted to the court as soon as possible.
Speaking to the BBC from a prison an hour outside of Colombo, Ms Lee appeared to be in good spirits. She described her living conditions, saying she shares a cell with five other women and sleeps on a thin mattress on the concrete floor, using whatever clothes she has as a pillow. That is where she spends most of her day, she said, although she does get to go outside for fresh air."I can't compare it to anything," she said. "I have never been to prison and I've never been to Sri Lanka. This heat and just sitting on a concrete floor all of the time."Ms Lee said she tries not to dwell too much on her current predicament."I am not trying to think about it. If I think, then I feel bad. I'll still rather not process it."Ms Lee said she is concerned for the other women who are also in prison."There are people from so many different countries who have been here for two years, two-and-a-half years. And it's still just waiting and no-one actually knows anything."She has managed to find other English-speaking women with whom she has developed a kinship. But she has not been able to speak with her family since her arrest.Speaking to the BBC from outside the courthouse after the hearing, Mr Perera said the next step is to make a bail application for Ms Lee, which could take three months.Under Sri Lankan law, people being held on remand must appear before a judge every 14 days. Ms Lee is being held on suspicion of keeping illegal drugs in her possession and drug smuggling. Her next court appearance will be on 13 July.
Additional reporting by Charlotte Scarr
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
5 hours ago
- The Independent
Small boats leave France after week of no migrant crossing arrivals
Six migrant boats have left France in the first attempt to cross the English Channel and reach the UK in days. A group including children was seen boarding at a beach in Gravelines, between Calais and Dunkirk. French authorities were then pictured escorting a small boat. There have not been any arrivals of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats for a week, the latest Home Office figures show. But 2025 is on course to set a record for Channel crossings, with more than 13,000 people having arrived so far, up 30% on the number recorded at this point last year, according to analysis of the data by the PA news agency. Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to crack down on small boat crossings including with measures targeting smuggling gangs. The Home Secretary has previously said gangs have been taking advantage of a higher number of calm weather days to make crossings. Sunny weather is forecast on Saturday with some areas potentially hitting 27C.
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Daily Mail
French police stand back and watch as migrant families including small children pack themselves onto small boats heading across the Channel to the UK
French police stood back and watched as entire families packed themselves into an overcrowded small boat heading across the Channel to the UK this morning. It is thought six migrant boats left France in the first attempt to cross the English Channel in days on Saturday. A group of men and women, which included multiple small children, was seen boarding a dinghy at a beach in Gravelines, which lies between Calais and Dunkirk. But despite the brazen attempt, French police officers were seen standing on the beach and watching on, with one even seeming to take pictures on his phone. After the boat was loaded, French authorities were then pictured escorting a small boat from aboard their own. There have not been any arrivals of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats for a week, the latest Home Office figures show. But 2025 is on course to set a record for Channel crossings, with more than 13,000 people having arrived so far, up 30 percent on the number recorded at this point last year, according to the latest data. It comes after Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to crack down on small boat crossings including with measures targeting smuggling gangs. A group of men and women, which included multiple small children, was seen boarding a dinghy at a beach in Gravelines, which lies between Calais and Dunkirk The Home Secretary has previously said gangs have been taking advantage of a higher number of calm weather days to make crossings. Weather in the UK is set to be balmy on Saturday, with little wind and warm temperatures that could get up to 27C in some areas. The new crossings come just weeks after the Prime Minister announced plans for 'return hubs' to send migrants back to the country they came to the UK from more easily. The Prime Minister is eyeing up deals with Balkan countries, and some in Africa, to house failed asylum seekers. Labour is looking to strike deals with the likes of Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Sir Keir had hoped Albania would join the scheme but was left embarrassed earlier this month when he travelled there, only to be publicly rebuffed by PM Edi Rama. Speaking in Albania earlier this month, Sir Keir said: 'What now we want to do and are having discussions of, talks of, is return hubs which is where someone has been through the system in the UK, they need to be returned and we have to make sure they're returned effectively and we'll do that, if we can, through return hubs. 'So that's what the talks are about. I would say in this area no single measure is going to be the measure that is, if you like, a silver bullet. Police officers in France were accused of standing and watching without intervening, with one even spotted appearing to take photographs on his phone A young boy and his family prepare to board a boat in a bid to reach the UK from France A young boy appears nervous as he is held on a small boat transporting refugees and migrants to the UK Criminal gangs are increasingly overloading boats with up to 100 people as they make money from individuals' desperation 'By putting it all together - arrests, seizures, agreements with other countries, returning people who shouldn't be here, and return hubs, if we can through these talks to add to our armoury, will allow us to bear down on this vile trade and to make sure that we stop those people crossing the Channel.' Downing Street said the plans were 'entirely different' to the last government's flagship Rwanda deportation scheme. The new plan will involve sending paying to send potentially thousands of failed asylum seekers to the Balkans, rather than holding them in the UK until they can be removed. In some cases, those involved will be from countries like Afghanistan which are deemed too dangerous to return people to. Sir Keir was criticised by some earlier this month after delivering a speech in which he pledged to crack down on immigration and said the UK was at risk of becoming an 'island of strangers'. But liberals said his words had echoes of Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' speech in 1968, which was accused of stoking years of racism and division in the UK. Speaking on May 12, Sir Keir said he would give Brits what they had 'asked for time and time again' and 'significantly' reduce eye-watering immigration that has been inflicting 'incalculable damage'. The Home Office estimates the government's package will bring down annual inflows by around 100,000. This figure reached a record of nearly one million under the Tories. A French coastguard boat is seen monitoring a boat packed with people on Saturday morning in the sea off the coast of France The remains of a small boat on the beach in Gravelines, France, following an unsuccessful attempt by people thought to be migrants to reach the UK A group of people including women and young children are seen waiting to try and catch a boat to the UK A young boy cries as he is carried into the sea to a small boat hoping to reach the UK In a pivotal moment, he also rejected the Treasury orthodoxy that high immigration drives growth - pointing out the economy has stagnated in recent years. Under the blueprint, skills thresholds will be hiked and rules on fluency in English toughened. Migrants will also be required to wait 10 years for citizenship rather than the current five, and face deportation for even lower-level crimes. Graduate visas will be reduced to 18 months, and a new levy introduced on income that universities generate from international students. Requirements that sponsoring institutions must meet in order to recruit international students are also being tightened. Official figures showed net long-term inflows into the UK were 431,000 in the year to December, compared with 860,000 across 2023.
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Daily Mail
James Argent 'hires new legal team' after he was handed suspended jail sentence for pushing his ex Nicoline Arthursson down steps in Spain
James Argent has reportedly hired a new team of lawyers after his court verdict for pushing his ex Nicoline Arthursson down steps in Spain was revealed. The ex- TOWIE star, 37, received a suspended jail sentence earlier this month after he was arrested for pushing Nicoline down some steps at their Spanish home. The former Miss Sweden, 32, suffered several injuries to her neck, arms, hand and leg in the assault, and a two-year restraining order is in place now meaning he's banned from contacting her. After accepting the suspended sentence, it has been claimed that James has moved on from the lawyers who represented him and hired a new legal team. According to The Sun, the lawyers have not been named and it marks his third legal team since the May 5 assault in Spain. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. A legal source told the publication: 'The individual who was convicted has appointed a new barrister and solicitor.' James has been ordered to attend a rehabilitation course aimed at addressing gender violence, and his new lawyers may work with him on the terms of this course. MailOnline has contacted James' representatives for comment. Court papers obtained by The Sun showed James - who raked in £5,000-a-week last year - was only required to pay Nicoline a shockingly low £250 in damages. James has reportedly insisted he's 'feeling good' as he took to the stage at Olivia's La Cala restaurant in Costa del Sol, Spain - close to where he attacked his ex Nicoline. According to The Mirror, James arrived looking glum-faced but was soon working the room with punters prior to his set where he was overheard telling them he was 'feeling good and looking forward to getting on stage'. The TV personality also shared a video on his social media, looking in very high spirits while dancing and singing with the crowd. He was welcomed on stage by the owner of the venue, former TOWIE star Elliot Wright, who spoke of their 'many trials and tribulations', the publication claimed. James' ex-girlfriend Nicoline was left with cuts and bruises to her neck, arms, hand and leg after the fall, according to a court filing. Prosecutors were reportedly pushing to charge James with wounding, which carries a jail sentence of up to nine months. However, the ex-reality star eventually agreed to the lesser offence of mistreatment as part of a plea deal. James was handed a six-month suspended sentence and a restraining order that prevents him from contacting Nicoline for a two-year period. The attack took place at the couple's beachfront home in the early hours of May 5, reportedly after a dispute about James' friendship with ex-girlfriend Lydia Bright. James was reportedly seen flinging clothes belonging to Nicoline from the balcony of their home before aggressively escorting her to the front door. She was then allegedly pushed down some steps in front of the couple's house before falling on the concrete patio. Nicole received treatment from medics at a nearby hospital, while James was arrested shortly after midnight. The suspended sentence means James could still face a jail sentence if he reoffends - and he also has to attend a 10-week-long domestic violence course. The pioneering programme, known as Regener@r, will require him to listen to the testimony of domestic violence survivors and is designed to help men create a new, less toxic form of masculinity. Fans questioned whether James's behaviour was sparked by a return to his wild drug and alcohol abusing days, which saw the reality favourite spend several stints in rehab. James, who over the years has struggled with weight issues and cocaine addiction, has previously suffered two near-fatal drug overdoses as he battled against his demons. The Essex star has been alcohol and drug free since 2022, prioritising rehabilitation, clean living and maintaining a healthy weight after having gastric band surgery. And speaking exclusively to MailOnline, James confirmed he is still sober and the police incident was not triggered by a relapse. James said: 'I haven't relapsed. I am still three years and four months clean and sober. I am devastated by what's happened.'
