A British teen "drug mule" broke down in tears during her court appearance in Georgia, as she claims she was "forced by torture".
The 19-year-old faces life behind bars after being arrested earlier this year for allegedly taking cannabis into Georgia.
She appeared at a Tbilisi court on Tuesday where she cried as she told the court she did not want to carry drugs.
Miss Culley said: “I didn’t want to do this. I was forced by torture. I just wanted to travel. I study at the university… to become a nurse.
"All I wanted to do was to travel and this happened to me. I’m clean – I had nothing in my blood test. I wanted to make my family proud. Thanks for listening.”
Miss Culley's lawyer Mr Malkhaz Salakaia told the court she had been threatened with a hot iron to force her into travelling with the suitcase filled with drugs.
In the courtroom Miss Culley stood in front of the judge and showed her right wrist which had a scar on it.
Miss Culley allegedly approached a policeman to seek help but he turned out to be part of the criminal group too, the lawyer told the court.
Mr Salakaia claims his client was told she would be met by people in Tbilisi airport, but instead she was intercepted by a customs officer.
The teenager was reported missing in Thailand by her family, before she was found in Georgia, accused of taking in about 14kg of cannabis and hashish.
Miss Culley, from Bellingham on Teeside, is pregnant and had not committed any crime before, the court heard.
Her father, aunt and grandfather were all in attendance at the small courtroom in Tbilisi.
Miss Culley left the court crying, and was told by her family: “Try not to worry. Good girl.”
She is due to appear in court again on July 10.
