Drug mule suspect expecting baby boy wants 'understanding

PREGNANT Teesside teen Bella Culley, accused of drug smuggling, has asked the court to understand her perspective, as it was disclosed she’s expecting a son.

- By JADE MCELWEE, SIMON MURPHY & MARADIA TSAAVA IN GEORGIA

The young woman is at risk of a life sentence in Georgia for allegedly smuggling cannabis into the nation. During yesterday’s hearing, the Billingham teenager, who has previously alleged coercion through torture, appealed to the judge: “I hope you understand my story through my eyes. “I never thought something like this would happen to me.”

The 19-year-old, accompanied by her mother Lyanne in the Tbilisi courtroom, expressed her gratitude with a “thank you" in Georgian.

The court learned that recent medical examinations confirmed Bella is pregnant with a boy, a revelation that visibly moved her mother.