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A GANG of migrant teenage boys are on trial in Vienna accused of blackmailing, raping, and tormenting a teacher for months – before torching her flat in a bid to destroy the evidence.
The horrific case involves seven defendants aged …
PREGNANT drugs mule Bella Culley’s bid to walk free from jail in Georgia was dashed today as her family failed to raise cash for a £215,000 plea bargain deal.
Bella, 19, has pleaded guilty to importing a huge stash of cannabis from Thailand to the former Soviet state and struck a deal to walk free with prosecutors.
Bella’s mum Lyanne Kennedy, right, must now raise an eyewatering £215,000 in three weeks to free her daughter[/caption]
But her distraught family have been unable to raise the huge sum – amid fears that she may now give birth to her baby boy behind bars in a grim Georgian jail.
Judge Giorgi Gelashvili today gave the family three weeks to raise the plea bargain cash – or face jail time.
Bella’s charity worker mum Lyanne Kennedy, 44, and oil rig technician dad Niel Culley, 49, have been desperately attempting to borrow cash but admitted they had fallen short.
And they now have until October 28 to raise the full amount before the judge imposes a jail term on November 2.
Tearful Lyanne said outside the court in Georgian capital Tbilisi today: “We thought this would be the day but sadly not.
“She is a bit anxious because she expected to go free today, but sadly it couldn’t happen.
“I am visiting her tomorrow. She is expecting her child by Christmas.”
Bella claimed she was tricked into trafficking 31lb of cannabis from Bangkok Airport in May after being burned with an iron and shown beheading videos by a Thai drugs gang.
The father of her child is believed to be a British man she met earlier on another leg of her far East backpacking trip.
Asked how they were securing the funds, Lyanne added: “You need to speak to her dad. All my money has gone on visiting, six times now.”
Bella, from Billingham, Teesside, now faces a year in jail if her parents cannot find the cash – and giving birth behind bars in Tbilisi’s tough Women’s Penitentiary No 5.
She has told the court she had no idea where she was going when she flew to Tbilisi with packets of weed stashed in her hold luggage.
Sources close to the case revealed outside court that Amazon and Netflix had approached the family seeking a deal to tell Bella’s story in a TV docu-drama.
But the sums they were offering were said to have been “nowhere near” to meet the sum set by Georgian prosecutors, who are demanding the street value of the smuggled dope.
Bella – who blew a kiss to her mother and grandma before she was taken back to prison – is next due in court on October 28.
The Brit previously claimed she had no idea where Georgia was and tried to raise the alarm when she boarded a flight from Bangkok.
Her lawyer, Malkhaz Salakaia said at an earlier hearing: “There was no malicious intent on Bella’s part – she was pressured and forced and there is irrefutable evidence of that.
“Her testimony contains even the names and last names of the individuals who forced her to transport it, she was threatened, as well as her family, including her mother who is present today.
“I want to underline that she didn’t hand in the baggage – all she knows is that there is this luggage and she will be met by certain individuals once she arrives.
“The bag wasn’t even locked, and it went through three countries and two continents, while Bella to this day is unaware whether Tbilisi is a country or a city.
“Bella didn’t commit this crime and there are no grounds to doubt her testimony.”
A SLEW of drug mule arrests involving Brits have emerged in the last few months.
In April and May, two Brit women were arrested abroad for alleged drug smuggling.
Bella was the first after she allegedly tried to smuggle a suitcase of weed into Georgia.
Meanwhile, former air stewardess Charlotte May Lee was also caught allegedly trying to smuggle drugs worth £1.2million into Sri Lanka.
Her two suitcases were said to have been stuffed with 46kg of a synthetic cannabis strain known as kush — which is 25 times more potent than opioid fentanyl.
If found guilty, South Londoner Charlotte could face a 25-year sentence.
A young mum was detained in Germany for allegedly smuggling cannabis in her bags on a flight from Thailand – in yet another shocking case.
Glamorous Cameron Bradford, 21, from Knebworth, Herts, was detained at Munich Airport on April 21 as she tried to collect her luggage.
It comes as a Brit couple claiming to be tourists from Thailand have been busted with more than 33kg of cannabis in their suitcases at a Spanish airport.
The pair were picked out by suspicious cops at Valencia Airport after displaying a “nervous and evasive attitude” and are now behind bars on drug trafficking charges.
Experts told The Sun how wannabe Brit Insta stars are being lured by cruel gangs into carting drugs across the world.
Then last month, a six-year-old British boy was arrested in Mauritius suspected of smuggling part of a £1.6million dope haul stuffed inside his wheelie case.
The lad was picked up by customs officials along with his mum and five other Brits as they arrived on the tropical island.
Authorities branded the use of a child in the audacious drug smuggling plot as “inhumane”.
First vote in Congress on military campaign that White House says has hit four vessels and killed at least 21 peopleSenate Republicans voted down legislation Wednesday that would have put a check on Donald Trump’s ability to use deadly military force a…
AS SUNBATHERS stared in dismay and children built sandcastles, brazen smugglers landed their boat on a busy beach near Marbella, unloading their illicit cargo in broad daylight.
The shocking scenes were just a glimpse into Spain’s in…
AS SUNBATHERS stared in dismay and children built sandcastles, brazen smugglers landed their boat on a busy beach near Marbella, unloading their illicit cargo in broad daylight.
The shocking scenes were just a glimpse into Spain’s in…
UK ministers preparing to raise payments to end standoff with pharma industry, cited as reason for firms axing British investmentsMinisters are preparing to raise the amount the NHS pays pharmaceutical firms for medicines by up to 25% after weeks of in…
A BRITISH helicopter pilot is facing 20 years in a Spanish prison for stabbing a man to death during a drug-fuelled sex session – after claiming he feared being filmed and killed.
Aaron Rainbow, 50, is accused of knifing Oscar Torner…
AS one performer cheekily puts it: “If you throw a stone in the streets here, you’ll hit a porn star.”
It’s no exaggeration. With Love Island-style ‘sex scouts’ and actors even romping on Ferris wheels, this Brit holiday hotspot has turned into an unlikely Mecca for adult stars – that is, if the size of your appendage meets their very strict requirements.
The Sun a Brit holiday hotspot, which has long been regarded as the ‘porn capital’ of Europe. Pictured, an actress gets ready for a scene[/caption]
The historic city is popular with tourists across Europe[/caption]
Millions flock to Budapest in Hungary every year to marvel at its grand architecture, take a dip in the thermal baths and drink at its famous ruin bars.
But aside from visiting the tourist hotspots, many are also travelling to the historic capital for a very different reason – to film pornography.
Since the fall of communism in 1989, the first city of Hungary has emerged as Europe’s unlikely porn production capital thanks to its low taxes, affordable rents and central landlocked location.
Since lockdown, when thousands turned to OnlyFans for quick cash, the city’s industry has only exploded further, with Love Island-style scouts even tapping up adult content influencers online to persuade them to fly over and pursue a career in full-on pornography.
Racy videos are being filmed in homes, in local parks, on Ferris wheels and even in Airbnbs, by actors and actresses from nations including Australia, Colombia and Russia.
When The Sun visited Budapest to see why more Brits than ever are joining its X-rated underworld, we discovered a sprawling industry that extends far beyond the film sets themselves.
Whole districts of Budapest’s bustling hospitality scene have been taken over by adult entertainers who pack out its bars, cafes and restaurants every day.
High-tech sexual health clinics have opened up to offer QR-code certificates for performers, who stay rent-free in Big Brother-style properties kitted out with cameras in every room.
At a set hidden amongst residential homes in the city’s suburbs, we were introduced to Mannie Coco, 31, from East London, a stripper nervously waiting to film his first porn scenes.
Ahead of the shoot, he told us: “I’m confident I can perform. It’s just a lot.
“It’s way more organised than I expected and a proper full production, it’s different to anything I’ve ever done before. Thankfully, I’m good at rolling with the punches.”
Like many of Budapest’s new wave of performers, Mannie had been found on Twitter thanks to his OnlyFans content and stripping videos.
He was scouted by talent spotter Sabina, the executive director of JulModels, who tells us of the very strict requirements for finding the perfect novices to approach.
She said: “For guys we look for someone in good physical shape, and they can be aged between 18 and 45.
“If I’m signing an older guy they need to have experience – otherwise we’re not going to invest.
“When it comes to penis size, I’m looking for at least 20cm (7.8inches).”
Sabina’s agency also look for new women to add to their roster of top performers, which includes British talent like actresses Lara Lee and Lenina Crowne.
“The perfect scenario is someone who is pretty with a bit of experience,” she said.
“I tend to go for natural looks rather than people with lots of plastic surgery, and between 18 and 30 is ideal.
“I look for girls who haven’t done any hardcore scenes as that can damage their career prospect and if we start slower they have a longer career.”
Mannie was picked for his good looks after being spotted online[/caption]
The city’s bustling restaurants are cafes are popular with both tourists and adult entertainers[/caption]
Thea Jacobs visited Hungary’s capital to see why more Brits than ever are flying out to join its adult industry[/caption]
Before arriving on set Mannie, like any other porn star in Budapest, visited a sexual health clinic like Talent Testing Service to be checked for all possible STIs.
The screenings cover all the possible infections and diseases you could contract from sex, including HIV, and come with a QR code to stop people faking them.
Going forward, Mannie will need to be tested and get clear results every two weeks to be able to work.
He was approved by Sabina because of his incredible body – and his extremely large appendage.
WITH the chance to make thousands per shoot, the world of porn can seem like an enticing career prospect for some – but it has a dark and deadly side.
Suicides, drug overdoses and human trafficking form a seedy underbelly, which recently has made headlines in both Europe and the United States.
In January last year, porn star Thania Fields was found dead after sharing that she had experienced “sexual abuse” at the start of her career in porn.
She said at the time: “I have suffered sexual harassment and abuse after starting to create adult content. It’s very strong.
“Many thought that by hiring me they could do what they wanted with me, but then I came home, took a bath and cried.”
Recently deaths in the US include star Angelina Please, Dahila Sky and Olivia Lua.
Former director Tommie McDonald tells us he left the business after being confronted with some horrifying situations.
He says at least two models he knows off killed themselves while he was still producing, and many more simply seemed to disappear.
He said: “Over the years working in the industry, suicides were sadly fairly common.
“Often Eastern European women are brought into the industry at the hands of traffickers and forced into filming porn under threats of violence.
“It’s hard to work in this industry and not have your morals shift because so much goes on.
“I’ve also heard of rape allegations against top producers and suggestions that people have been drugged on set before filming.
“It was also commonplace for a bit in Europe that talent would forge clear tests so they could still work even if they had contacted something.
“There was a HIV outbreak in Europe about five years ago, which thankfully changed the way testing was done.”
Despite having first day nerves, The Sun was later told that he did “10/10” and has since been booked for more shoots with the international porn brand.
Talking a week later, he said: “You haven’t seen the last of me.
“Getting booked again has been a massive confidence boost that I can do this. I don’t think there are many black English guys doing this.”
British stars like Ava fly over to the city to film sexy scenes with top producers[/caption]
All performers in Budapest are STI tested every two weeks in order to work[/caption]
Sabina is in charge of selecting what talent JulModels takes on[/caption]
Most pornography watched in the UK will be filmed either in the US or in Europe, via Budapest or Prague in the Czech Republic.
Girls typically get paid around £1,000 per scene and the men get between £600 and £800.
Despite the pay difference, male performers are harder to find because many can’t perform on demand when the cameras are rolling.
As the battle to find the perfect talent intensifies, agencies are coming up with increasingly novel ways to sweeten the deal.
Girls taken on by JulModels have the option of staying for free in their ‘model house’, with the only catch being that everything they do is livestreamed to fans.
It’s like grand central station here for porn, everyone comes through this city
Dan Leal
There is no requirement to do anything sexual – just living their day-to-day lives is enough for those watching the stream.
Another Brit who decided to ditch his 9-5 job in search of racier pastures is Dimitri Shadow, from London.
He had previously worked as a graphic designer and trainee firefighter, before following some of his pals into pornography.
He told The Sun: “I decided to give this a go maybe two or three years ago because a lot of my friends worked in the industry.
“The rest is history, I’ve not looked back since.”
Julia starred in adult films before she became a director herself for top brands[/caption]
Kiara was found by a talent agent on social media who introduced her to porn[/caption]
Dan Leal has shot porn on both sides of the Atlantic and prefers Budapest for its international talent[/caption]
Traditionally, scouts have searched Eastern Europe for talent, although the recent rise of sites like OnlyFans has seen a surge in Brits and Western performers.
Hungarian star Kiara Lord, 33, has worked in the industry for years after being discovered online and says it has changed for the better since she made her first film.
“I was messaged several times by an agent on social media before I agreed to go and meet with them,” she told us.
“They were very frank about what they wanted so I decided to give it a go. The first time, I felt incredibly awkward, and it was like having an out-of-body experience. I was so nervous that I was light-headed.”
The first time, I felt incredibly awkward, and it was like having an out-of-body experience. I was so nervous that I was light-headed
Kiara Lord
Now Kiara is a pro and much prefers it when a director has planned out every position, rather than asking the talent to “freestyle”.
In reality, filming is very far from sexy as Kiara says she is constantly thinking about her posture, how she looks and if she is being open enough for the camera.
But she also claims to have seen positive change in the industry for women, and feels more emboldened to speak out if she sees something she doesn’t like.
She said: “It’s changed a lot since I’ve been doing this. There is more consideration for women now and making sure we feel comfortable.
“And girls speak out more than they used to when things happen. However, it is still a very male dominated industry.”
Ava runs her own production company in the UK to help other OnlyFans creators[/caption]
Another veteran talent of the Budapest pornography scene is Brit Ava Koxx, who filmed her first scenes in the city a decade ago.
The 39-year-old, who is one of the UK’s highest paid performers, tells us: “I had no idea what to expect. I turned up to set with condoms in hand and had not been STI tested.
“They had to delay production to get me tested, but once we went ahead, I took to it like a duck to water.”
The Manchester beauty, who is also one of the tallest girls in the industry at 6ft 2inches, has remarkably only filmed 60 scenes over her decade-long career – a number some actresses will hit in a couple of months.
When it comes to penis size, I’m looking for at least 20cm (7.8inches)
Talent spotter
“You can be on set for up to 12 hours a day,” she said.
“People think it’s easy, but it’s hard work. If a guy can’t get hard or something else goes wrong, it can be a really long day.
“You have producers telling you to do this position or that position. I don’t think most people could cope with how hard it really is.”
And there is another stereotype Ava is keen to dispel. “Everyone thinks that the adult industry are at it like rabbits even when cameras aren’t rolling, which isn’t true,” she said.
Hungary’s capital city is full of rich history and culture, famously boasting a wealth of 80 underground hot springs.
For hundreds of years the urban sprawl existed as three separate towns, Buda, Óbuda, and Pest, which were unified in 1873.
By the time of World War I, Budapest was the capital city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The empire collapsed after the war ended. During World War II much of the city was destroyed by British and American air raids.
Currently, Budapest is the second-largest city on the Danube and the ninth largest city in Europe over all.
In 2022 6.9million tourists arrived at the airport for holidays. It has 223 museums and galleries, covering local history and that of Europe.
The city is popular with both budget travellers and those looking for a bustling nightlife for stag and hen dos.
Its Széchenyi Medicinal Bath is the biggest in Europe and caters to health tourism and party goers with a weekend ‘Sparty’. The indoor medicinal baths date from 1913 and the outdoor pools from 1927.
The central area of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage site thanks to the classical architecture of the Hungarian Parliament building and Budapest castle.
It is also home to Europe’s largest Synagogue, The Dohány Street Synagogue, which is the second largest in the world.
Cuisine on offer includes Turkish staples including pilaf, stuffed cabbage called töltött káposzta and Turkish delight.
More classical Hungarian dishes include Goulash, a meat stew heavy with paprika; Hortobágyi palacsinta, which is a meat filled savoury crepe; and chicken paprikash – chicken simmered in a thick, creamy paprika sauce with homemade pasta called nokedli.
“If we’re not filming, I’m on my phone or having a cuppa.
“At the end of the day, it’s a job. We’re doing it for money, not just to have constant sex.
“Do I get turned on, on set? No. Do I get turned on by the influx of cash? Absolutely.”
Ava has been filming adult movies for a decade, and started in Budapest[/caption]
Ava’s friend, female director and former pornstar Julia Grandi, is a big fan of the talent coming out of the UK.
“I like to have more dialogue in the films I produce and that is always easier when working with an English actors or actresses,” she said.
“I love it because it means I can be more creative with my script.
“British performers have a great attitude and I often work with established performers who have made their own content or worked with other producers which means they have great experience.
“I’ve started seeing lots more English girls coming through in the last year as more have started their OnlyFans and they’re moving through into doing more professional porn.”
Much of the porn watched in the UK is filmed over in Budapest[/caption]
Stars spend much of their free time in the city enjoying the food and drink on offer[/caption]
Her positive views on Brits are echoed by industry award-winning director Dan Leal, who moved to Budapest in 2016 after filming in the US since 2001.
The 55-year-old American loves the city because he has the choice of top international talent and can therefore be choosy with which models he uses.
He told The Sun: “It’s like Grand Central station here for porn, everyone comes through this city.
“Budapest relies on international performers, you see talent here from all over the world, including Brits.
I’m happy I’m living in the porn capital. It’s helping the economy.
Giorgio, taxi driver
Despite pornography’s seedy reputation, many of the Hungarian locals we encounter don’t have an issue with it.
Taxi driver Giorgio said: “I’m happy I’m living in the porn capital. It’s helping the economy.
“The older ladies probably don’t even know what is going on here.
“There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just a movie.”
The Sun visited the house where JulModels allow girls to stay for free[/caption]
TO the outside world, Andrea Giovino looked like any other Staten Island housewife as she pruned her beloved rose bushes outside her New York mansion.
But little did her well-to-do neighbours know that Andrea was privy to some of the most explosive …
DONALD Trump has cut all diplomatic contact with Venezuela as America prepares to expand the war on drug cartels from sea to land.
The US president reportedly ordered his envoy Richard Grenell to cut all contact with Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in a dramatic escalation between the two nations.
Donald Trump ended all diplomatic contact with Venezuela, escalating tensions between the nations[/caption]
Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro called Trump’s moves a pretext for regime change[/caption]
Trump phoned Grenell himself last Thursday during a meeting with top military leaders and have the blunt directive, according to a New York Times report.
US officials told the paper the move reflects Trump’s frustration with what he sees as Maduro’s refusal to step aside and his alleged protection of narcotics traffickers.
According to reports, Maduro wrote Trump a letter in September in which he denied that Venezuela trafficked drugs.
He also offered to carry on negotiations with the United States through Grenell.
But Trump is not having it and has shut the door on any diplomacy with Caracas.
The break is the latest move in setting the stage for US military action – beyond the strikes already pounding cartel boats in the Caribbean.
In a recent Oval Office briefing, Trump told lawmakers the US is engaged in “a non-international armed conflict” with drug cartels.
The rare legal step gives the president sweeping wartime powers to strike, kill and detain cartel fighters without trial.
Trump has already framed the battle in warlike terms.
At Naval Station Norfolk, standing beside the carrier USS Harry S Truman, he boomed: “In recent weeks, the Navy has supported our mission to blow the cartel terrorists the hell out of the water… We did another one last night.”
Then came the hint of what’s next.
“They’re not coming in by sea any more, so now we’ll have to start looking about the land,” he warned.
According to reports, the US military is preparing to seize ports and airfields in Venezuela.
US planners now have enough firepower positioned to seize key ports and airfields if ordered, reported the Washington Examiner.
Off Venezuela’s coast sits a formidable armada: Navy warships and a submarine, ten F-35 Lightning II stealth jets, and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit — 2,200 Marines with Harrier jump jets, helicopters and armor.
And it comes as the Pentagon quietly builds a force big enough to grab and hold territory on Venezuelan soil.
The troops are reportedly preparing to eventually head to Venezuela[/caption]
US Marines unload from an Osprey V-22 aircraft in Puerto Rico[/caption]
F-35 fighter jets taxi on the runway at the former Roosevelt Roads military base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico[/caption]
US special operations forces have rehearsed parachute and airfield seizures in the Caribbean and Puerto Rico has become a forward base, with constant flights of troops and gear.
The pressure campaign follows a wave of lethal strikes at sea.
At least 17 suspected traffickers have been killed since September as US missiles ripped through boats moving narcotics towards American shores.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted footage of one precision strike and vowed: “These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over.”
But Maduro is defiant.
The Venezuelan dictator — long accused by Washington of running a “narco-state” — insists the US wants regime change, not drug control.
He has thundered that America is plotting an “armed aggression to impose puppet governments,” claimed the US has “1,200 missiles pointed at our heads,” and accused Trump of trying to steal Venezuela’s oil and gold.
Maduro says he has millions on troops ready to defend against the Americans[/caption]
Venezuelan army tanks ride during a military exercise at a highway in Caracas[/caption]
Venezuela has been training volunteer citizens to fight amid rising tensions with the US[/caption]
On Friday, Maduro said a “local terrorist group” had plotted to bomb the US embassy in Caracas, a claim analysts see as both warning and propaganda.
Trump’s latest executive orders have designated eight Latin American cartels as foreign terrorist organisations, giving the US new legal tools for strikes.
Javed Ali, a former senior counter-terrorism official, said the president could invoke Article II of the Constitution to justify unilateral action and even the War Powers Act to sustain it for 60 days without Congress.
The strategy has alarmed Democrats.
US Military forces conducting a strike on a boat carrying alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean Sea[/caption]
Sen. Jack Reed warned Trump is waging “a secret war against secret enemies, without the consent of Congress.”
Legal experts say the White House is stretching post-9/11 war powers to target groups that have not attacked US forces directly.
But Trump is betting Americans will back a president willing to go to war over fentanyl deaths and cartel violence.
“Stop selling fentanyl, narcotics, and illegal drugs in America,” he blasted on Truth Social.
“These terrorists are poisoning our people.”
By Harvey Geh, Foreign News Reporter
DONALD Trump has launched his full-scale war on drugs – favouring missiles over law enforcement.
The first day of Trump’s second term kicked off with the designation of narcotraffickers as terrorists – giving him the right to kill them before they can reach American shores.
This is the argument he has used in the face of law experts warning that his decision to strike a suspected drug-smuggling boat on Tuesday was illegal.
Washington-watchers claim that the gangsters should have been arrested – but the White House says that law enforcement is ineffective.
Trump vowed after the blitz: “There’s more where that came from.”
The US President has long spoken of his desire to enact force to take on drug cartels, which he accuses Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of actively backing.
Maduro has denied the allegations, and the last few months have seen teetering escalations deteriorate into a tense standoff.
The US has positioned naval destroyers and soldiers around Maduro’s waters, while the Venezuelan dictator has ordered mass mobilisation of troops.