Bella Culley requests to see her family while held in Georgia

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Bella Culley requests to see her family while held in Georgia

Tom Burgess

BBC News, North East and Cumbria

Rayhan Demytrie

Caucasus correspondent

Watch: Bella Culley appears in Georgia court

A British teenager has written a letter to Georgian authorities asking for the chance to see her family while she is held in prison in Georgia on suspicion of drug offences.

Bella Culley, 18, from Billingham on Teesside, who is being held in prison number 5 in Rustavi, faces a five-day wait to find out whether she can see her father.

She has been told she will be detained for 55 days before trial while the prosecution investigates where the 12kg (26lbs) of ********** and 2kg (4.4lbs) of hashish found in a travel bag had come from, and whether she was planning on handing it over to someone else.

Her lawyer, Ia Todua, said that she has the “right to demand this short-term visit from her family”.

Ms Todua, who has been appointed by the state to represent the British teenager, said Ms Culley should be allowed short visits, and that the authorities legally have to respond to her request within five days.

“She has the right to demand this short-term visit from her family, through the decision of the prosecution,” said Ms Todua.

“She’s not cut off from outside contact. She is allowed small meetings.”

The BBC was told that the meeting could be up to an hour long, that a lawyer does not have to accompany the family, and that there will be no glass partition between the two parties.

At the end of her pre-trial hearing on Tuesday, Miss Culley told the court she was pregnant.

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Bella Culley’s family is being supported by the Foreign Office

The Foreign Office has confirmed that it is “supporting the family of a British woman who is detained in Georgia”.

Georgian Police said officers had seized ********** and the ********* drug hashish in a travel bag at Tbilisi International Airport.

The BBC understands that Ms Culley arrived in Tbilisi on a flight from Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates, on 10 May .

The BBC has been told that the British Embassy has advised the teenager’s family not to speak to the press.

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Bella Culley has been sent to prison number 5, in the city of Rustavi, while she awaits trial

Miss Culley was charged by Georgian police with illegally buying, possessing and importing large quantities of narcotics.

A spokesperson said the arrest was the result of a joint operation between multiple departments and, if she is found guilty, Miss Culley could face up to 20 years in jail or life imprisonment.

Cleveland Police has confirmed an 18-year-old woman from Billingham has been arrested in Georgia “on suspicion of drugs offences” and remains in custody.

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