Latest news with #Brit
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Peru Two's Michaella McCollum ‘couldn't survive prison horrors' Brit ‘smugglers' Bella Culley & Charlotte Lee may face
MICHAELLA McCollum of the notorious Peru Two has warned that accused Brit drug smugglers Bella Culley and Charlotte Lee will go through unbearable prison horrors. The infamous drug smuggler turned influencer branded the pair "victims", and said she could not endure the conditions Culley and Lee may have to face. 14 Former drug mule turned author, mum and public speaker Michaella McCollum has spoken on Bella Culley and Charlotte Lee Credit: Instagram/@Michaella_McCollum 14 Charlotte Lee was arrested in Sri Lanka after cops found two suitcases stuffed with 46kg of synthetic drug kush Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 14 Bella Culley was arrested in Tbilisi airport, Georgia, with a suitcase packed with drugs Credit: Facebook As one half of the notorious Peru Two, McCollum, 31, served three years in a hardcore prison near Lima when she was convicted of drug smuggling in 2013. Alongside Melissa Reid, the two were arrested at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima, The now mum-of-two said of Culley and Lee: "I could not do 20 years in a prison like that. I just couldn't. And that's what those girls are facing." read more world news Culley, 18, and Lee, 21, are facing similar but unrelated She faces 15 years to life in jail in the eastern European former Soviet state. She is being held in watchtower-ringed Penitentiary No 5 near Tbilisi while prosecutors probe how she came to have the £200,000 stash and who she planned to hand it to. Most read in The Sun Meanwhile, If Bella Culley's dad stands by daughter amid fears drug gangs are targeting Brit backpackers The Brit claimed that she didn't know she was Her friends revealed that she has been struggling behind bars since her arrest due to the shocking conditions. The part-time nail technician told pals she has not been allowed medication, and detailed how her cleaning regime consists of 'having a glass of water poured over her head'. McCollum, who has endured similar She was 19 at the time of her arrest, alongside her pal who she had recently met Reid, who was 20. The mum compared her story to those of Lee and Culley. She said: "The situation was almost exactly the same. Her mum had reported her missing, then it emerged that she'd been arrested. "There were such parallels with my case – except it was just in a different country." 14 Michaella McCollum (L) entering the Sarita Colonia jail with a police escort in October, 2013 Credit: EPA 14 Bella May Culley, 18, from Billingham, County Durham, seen in court in Tbilisi Credit: East2West 14 Charloitte May Lee, 21, former TUI flight attendant from Coulsdon, seen after she appeared in court in Colombo, Sri Lanka Credit: Enterprise 14 She added: "I couldn't help but feel bad for them. "They are 19 and 21. Whatever they have done, it's so young to be caught up in something like this, and I know what they are going to go through. "And their families. It's the worst thing anybody can have to face." Culley's situation also took a nightmare twist, after she told a Tbilisi court that she was pregnant. McCollum said: "As a mum, I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to give birth in that sort of place, and to potentially have the child taken from you and put into care. How might the cases of Bella Culley and Charlotte May be connected? Within a single day of Bella Culley's arrest, While the two arrests took place over 3,000 miles apart, people immediately noted It is believed to be likely that Georgian and Sri Lankan authorities will launch a joint investigation Both women are said to have departed from the same airport - Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport - allegedly with the drugs on them In both cases, the drugs were stashed in airtight packages that suggest a level of professionalism Both women had told their loved ones that they planned on meeting a mystery man during their travels in Thailand: Bella's grandad said she mentioned a man called "Ross or Russ", while Charlotte's friends said she made vague comments about meeting a man "That adds a whole new, terrifying, dimension. It's just incredibly sad." The smuggler turned public speaker also said the accused pair need more public sympathy, but cautioned that she also understands they may have made mistakes, as she did. "It's easy to look at girls like this and think 'how could you be so stupid?' but I look back at myself and think exactly that," she said. "I don't know the circumstances in detail here, but I do know that of all the women I came across who had been involved in drug smuggling, only about 10 per cent were doing it as a business , who knew the risks and accepted them." She continued: "The vast majority were the victims of some sort of coercion, usually by men. 14 Welikada prison, where Lee may be thrown into, is reported to be infested with maggots and rats 14 The exterior of Tbilisi Prison No.5, Georgia's only female prison where Culley may have to serve Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk 14 View of the containment areas of the Ancon 2 prison, where McCollum served her sentence Credit: AFP 14 "Prisons all over the world are full of women who have been caught up in something like this." Lee has already told cops about a mysterious Brit man called "Dan". She claims to have met him on a beach in Thailand before he bought her a ticket to Colombo, promised to join her but then suddenly vanished. McCollum said she was only regarded as a "victim" after a 2022 Netflix documentary exploring the Peru Two case. She said: "It was when I was watching an actress do some of the re-enactments of my story that I realised there had been exploitation and coercion going on here. "At the time I was so high (on cocaine) that I could barely walk. Yet the men around me were all sober. "I thought they were my friends, but actually they didn't give a s**t about me." McCollum was offered a mere £5,000 to smuggle the drugs she was caught with. "I mean who would risk spending 20 years of your life in prison for £3,000 or £4,000 or even £10,000," she reflected. "Even £50,000 isn't enough. No amount of money is worth your freedom." The 31-year-old has also written a book detailing her experience, and worked with police to tell her story to impressionable teens. More than a decade on from her harrowing story, the former drug mule is now a public speaker, wife and author who's estimated net worth nearly £1million. 14 Michaella McCollum is now a mum-of-two and author Credit: Instagram/@Michaella_McCollum 14 Part-time beautician Lee was arrested on May 12 after stepping off a flight to Sri Lanka from Thailand Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 14 Culley revealed to court that she was pregnant Credit: Social media - Refer to source
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Peru Two's Michaella McCollum ‘couldn't survive prison horrors' Brit ‘smugglers' Bella Culley & Charlotte Lee may face
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MICHAELLA McCollum of the notorious Peru Two has warned that accused Brit drug smugglers Bella Culley and Charlotte Lee will go through unbearable prison horrors. The infamous drug smuggler turned influencer branded the pair "victims", and said she could not endure the conditions Culley and Lee may have to face. 14 Former drug mule turned author, mum and public speaker Michaella McCollum has spoken on Bella Culley and Charlotte Lee Credit: Instagram/@Michaella_McCollum 14 Charlotte Lee was arrested in Sri Lanka after cops found two suitcases stuffed with 46kg of synthetic drug kush Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 14 Bella Culley was arrested in Tbilisi airport, Georgia, with a suitcase packed with drugs Credit: Facebook As one half of the notorious Peru Two, McCollum, 31, served three years in a hardcore prison near Lima when she was convicted of drug smuggling in 2013. Alongside Melissa Reid, the two were arrested at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima, Peru, after it was discovered that their suitcases contained a shocking £1.5million of cocaine between them. Mule turned author McCollum also detailed how she was forced to survive on maggot-infested paella and flick away cockroaches approaching her on the dining tables. The now mum-of-two said of Culley and Lee: "I could not do 20 years in a prison like that. I just couldn't. And that's what those girls are facing." Culley, 18, and Lee, 21, are facing similar but unrelated drug smuggling charges and have both been locked up far away from home with little hope of getting out. Culley was arrested on May 11 in Tbilisi airport, Georgia, with a suitcase packed with 31lb of cannabis and hashish after flying from Thailand via Sharjah in the UAE. She faces 15 years to life in jail in the eastern European former Soviet state. She is being held in watchtower-ringed Penitentiary No 5 near Tbilisi while prosecutors probe how she came to have the £200,000 stash and who she planned to hand it to. Meanwhile, Lee was arrested earlier this month in Sri Lanka after cops found two suitcases stuffed with 46kg of synthetic drug kush — which is 25 times more potent than opioid fentanyl. If found guilty, the South Londoner could face a 25-year sentence. Bella Culley's dad stands by daughter amid fears drug gangs are targeting Brit backpackers The Brit claimed that she didn't know she was smuggling drugs into Sri Lanka before she was detained - and called her allegations 'made up'. Her friends revealed that she has been struggling behind bars since her arrest due to the shocking conditions. The part-time nail technician told pals she has not been allowed medication, and detailed how her cleaning regime consists of 'having a glass of water poured over her head'. McCollum, who has endured similar hardship in foreign prisons, was also a very young adult when she made the "greatest mistake of my life". She was 19 at the time of her arrest, alongside her pal who she had recently met Reid, who was 20. The mum compared her story to those of Lee and Culley. She said: "The situation was almost exactly the same. Her mum had reported her missing, then it emerged that she'd been arrested. "There were such parallels with my case – except it was just in a different country." 14 Michaella McCollum (L) entering the Sarita Colonia jail with a police escort in October, 2013 Credit: EPA 14 Bella May Culley, 18, from Billingham, County Durham, seen in court in Tbilisi Credit: East2West 14 Charloitte May Lee, 21, former TUI flight attendant from Coulsdon, seen after she appeared in court in Colombo, Sri Lanka Credit: Enterprise 14 She added: "I couldn't help but feel bad for them. "They are 19 and 21. Whatever they have done, it's so young to be caught up in something like this, and I know what they are going to go through. "And their families. It's the worst thing anybody can have to face." Culley's situation also took a nightmare twist, after she told a Tbilisi court that she was pregnant. McCollum said: "As a mum, I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to give birth in that sort of place, and to potentially have the child taken from you and put into care. How might the cases of Bella Culley and Charlotte May be connected? Within a single day of Bella Culley's arrest, Charlotte May, 21, was arrested in Sri Lanka after allegedly being caught trying to smuggle drugs worth £1.2m While the two arrests took place over 3,000 miles apart, people immediately noted striking similarities It is believed to be likely that Georgian and Sri Lankan authorities will launch a joint investigation Both women are said to have departed from the same airport - Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi airport - allegedly with the drugs on them In both cases, the drugs were stashed in airtight packages that suggest a level of professionalism Both women had told their loved ones that they planned on meeting a mystery man during their travels in Thailand: Bella's grandad said she mentioned a man called "Ross or Russ", while Charlotte's friends said she made vague comments about meeting a man "That adds a whole new, terrifying, dimension. It's just incredibly sad." The smuggler turned public speaker also said the accused pair need more public sympathy, but cautioned that she also understands they may have made mistakes, as she did. "It's easy to look at girls like this and think 'how could you be so stupid?' but I look back at myself and think exactly that," she said. "I don't know the circumstances in detail here, but I do know that of all the women I came across who had been involved in drug smuggling, only about 10 per cent were doing it as a business, who knew the risks and accepted them." She continued: "The vast majority were the victims of some sort of coercion, usually by men. 14 Welikada prison, where Lee may be thrown into, is reported to be infested with maggots and rats 14 The exterior of Tbilisi Prison No.5, Georgia's only female prison where Culley may have to serve Credit: Not known, clear with picture desk 14 View of the containment areas of the Ancon 2 prison, where McCollum served her sentence Credit: AFP 14 "Prisons all over the world are full of women who have been caught up in something like this." Lee has already told cops about a mysterious Brit man called "Dan". She claims to have met him on a beach in Thailand before he bought her a ticket to Colombo, promised to join her but then suddenly vanished. McCollum said she was only regarded as a "victim" after a 2022 Netflix documentary exploring the Peru Two case. She said: "It was when I was watching an actress do some of the re-enactments of my story that I realised there had been exploitation and coercion going on here. "At the time I was so high (on cocaine) that I could barely walk. Yet the men around me were all sober. "I thought they were my friends, but actually they didn't give a s**t about me." McCollum was offered a mere £5,000 to smuggle the drugs she was caught with. "I mean who would risk spending 20 years of your life in prison for £3,000 or £4,000 or even £10,000," she reflected. "Even £50,000 isn't enough. No amount of money is worth your freedom." The 31-year-old has also written a book detailing her experience, and worked with police to tell her story to impressionable teens. More than a decade on from her harrowing story, the former drug mule is now a public speaker, wife and author who's estimated net worth nearly £1million. 14 Michaella McCollum is now a mum-of-two and author Credit: Instagram/@Michaella_McCollum 14 Part-time beautician Lee was arrested on May 12 after stepping off a flight to Sri Lanka from Thailand Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Brit woman dead and husband fighting for life after 4x4 smashes into bakery in popular tourist hotspot
HOLIDAY HORROR Brit woman dead and husband fighting for life after 4×4 smashes into bakery in popular tourist hotspot Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A BRIT woman has died and her husband is fighting for life after a large SUV crashed into a bakery in a popular tourist hotspot. The driver allegedly lost control of their 4x4 vehicle before smashing into the shop, shattering the windows and dragging the couple along in Tigaki, Greece. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 The crash left the windows of the bakery shattered Both the woman and her husband were rushed to the hospital after the tragic accident. It is understood that the couple were holidaying in the tourist hotspot. More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
South Wales Argus
6 hours ago
- Sport
- South Wales Argus
Jess Learmonth racing for her son at T100 San Francisco
The 37-year-old made her T100 Triathlon World Tour debut in Singapore in April, returning to competitive action following the birth of her son in 2023, and finished 13th. Learmonth made an instant impact in the Singaporean heat, leading after both the swim and bike, before a brutal run leg saw her slip out of pole position and to the middle of the field. However, despite battling hot conditions and being forced to stop and walk for long periods of time, Learmonth felt there were still plenty of positives to take from her first outing of the season. "I went in with zero expectation or knowledge of how I will race," she said. "You can train as much as you want but if you've not raced at this level for four years, you have no idea where you'll sit. "I was so happy with the swim and the bike and where I was. San Francisco T100 race week 🙌 Watch the racing live on PTO+ on 31 May 📺 👉 — T100 Triathlon World Tour (@t100triathlon) May 26, 2025 "Obviously the run was diabolical but to actually be up there and be involved was a really positive thing for me, and it helped me gain a little bit more confidence with the training I've been doing. "Looking from the outside, it could look pretty disastrous as a race result, but I definitely had positive takeaways from it. "I just need to not race in such heat, and which is going to be the complete opposite this weekend." Learmonth now suits up for the second leg of the season in San Francisco, a circuit known for it's cold swim, hilly course and windy conditions. It's an exciting new challenge for the Brit, who usually favours colder conditions and is based in Leeds for her training. And with her husband John and son Fred on the sidelines this time round, Learmonth is equipped with a fresh sense of perspective. "Fred didn't come to Singapore, and although it was easier logistically without him there, you have anxiety because you're not with him," she said. "This time he has come, and it was a bit more stressful with the 12-hour flight with a toddler, but it's lovely having him here. "When I was struggling in Singapore, it was Fred and family and friends in my mind that kept me going, "When I was an athlete before having him, it was all on me, whereas now I have so much more support from people looking after Fred so I can train. They're sacrificing a lot for me to come and race, so there's so much more riding on the races that I do now. "For me to not finish just felt like a failure. I just didn't want to let them down in a way. That's basically what kept me going." Preparation for the San Francisco event has been full of ups and downs for Learmonth, who has been rehabbing a calf tear that she picked up just six weeks ago during training. But with so little race experience over the last four years, she is just excited to get back on the start line. "I'm here to gain consistency and get some races under my belt," she said. "Any race I do, because I've not done so many in the last four years, I'm going to gain experience and knowledge and learn from. "I'm hoping to have a similar swim, bike, and then just improve that run, and be a bit more competitive to then build on that during the rest of the season." Watch the world's top 20 female and top 20 male triathletes race live in the San Francisco T100 over the legendary Escape From Alcatraz course on Saturday 31 May. The broadcast starts at 0545 local time, 1345 in the UK, with the races starting 15 minutes later. You can tune in live for free globally on PTO+ or watch on partners channels such as TNT Sports 2 in the UK, Max or Discovery+ in Europe, or beIN in North America. For more details visit
Wales Online
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Wales Online
EuroMillions jackpot of £199m next week could be UK's biggest ever lottery win
EuroMillions jackpot of £199m next week could be UK's biggest ever lottery win The jackpot is an estimated £199 million and would be the largest prize the UK has seen, National Lottery operator Allwyn said Next week's Euromillions jackpot will be a whopping £199 million (Image: Getty Images ) The UK could witness its most monumental lottery windfall yet if a lucky participant clinches the forthcoming Tuesday EuroMillions draw's mammoth top prize. The estimated £199 million jackpot would be the largest windfall in British history, the National Lottery operator Allwyn has said. The absence of a EuroMillions winner on Friday propels the significant jackpot to roll over to the upcoming Tuesday draw. Andy Carter, the senior winners' adviser for Allwyn, the organisation behind The National Lottery, remarked: "We are now on the verge of creating the biggest National Lottery winner this country has ever seen, as the EuroMillions jackpot will be an estimated £199 million this Tuesday. "If a single UK ticket-holder wins the lot, they'll instantly become richer than the likes of Dua Lipa and Harry Kane whilst landing at the number one spot of The National Lottery's biggest wins." New rules affecting roads and drivers across Wales planned READ MORE: Animal expert explains sweet reason your dog keeps staring at you READ MORE: A lucky Brit could join the top 0.001 per cent wealthiest people in the country on Tuesday (Image: PA Archive/PA Images ) Carter added: "Get your tickets early to ensure you'll be in with a chance of a massive life-changing win." A record-breaking £195 million jackpot was claimed by an unidentified UK ticket-holder on July 19, 2022, closely following Gloucester couple Joe and Jess Thwaite who bagged £184,262,899 from a Lucky Dip ticket in the May 10, 2022 draw. The UK's third-largest prize was collected when an anonymous entrant won the £177 million jackpot in the November 26 draw last year, whilst the largest win in this year reached up to £83 million back in January. Winning numbers for Friday, May 30 Tonight's winning EuroMillions numbers: 4, 7, 14, 33, 36, and Lucky Stars of 1 and 5 Article continues below Tonight's winning Thunderball numbers: 16, 21, 25, 26, 34. Thunderball - 14 When and how to play There are chances to win EuroMillions every Tuesday and Friday. You can buy a ticket for £2.50 (on draw days up until 7.30pm). If you want more games to play, there is also Lotto every Saturday and Wednesday and Set For Life every Monday and Thursday. The Thunderball draw (which also takes place tonight, as well as every Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday,) has a £500,000 top prize.
