The nightmare ordeal of a pregnant British tourist has ignited international outrage after she was sentenced to two years in a Turkish prison for carrying a common painkiller.
Bella Culley, who is 20 weeks pregnant, was arrested at Dalaman Airport after officials found paracetamol in her suitcase. The 28-year-old from Norfolk insists she had no idea the medication was restricted in Turkey and had packed it for her own personal use.
Her family is now terrified for her health and the wellbeing of her unborn baby, warning that the immense stress and poor conditions could trigger a miscarriage.
'Our world has been shattered,' her mother told The Mirror. 'She is an innocent, pregnant woman being treated like a criminal. We fear she could lose the baby.'
Bella appeared in court via video link from a cramped, dirty cell, where she is being held alongside other foreign nationals. The devastating sentence has left her family scrambling to appeal and desperately lobbying the UK Foreign Office for intervention.
This case has raised serious questions about the treatment of British citizens abroad and the proportionality of justice for a simple, honest mistake. Campaigners are demanding the UK government step in to bring Bella home before tragedy strikes.
