Bella Culley, a 19-year-old British citizen who is eight months pregnant and accused by Georgian officials of drug smuggling, was released from the Tbilisi City Court on November 3 after reaching a plea bargain with prosecutors.
“Several reasons were taken into account: her health condition, her confession, her age, and her cooperation with the investigation,” Prosecutor Vakhtang Tsalugelashvili told RFE/RL. He noted that the prosecutor’s office had initiated the release of the British woman, who fully admitted her guilt, from custody.
The court found Culley guilty and sentenced her to five months and 24 days in prison, along with a fine of 500,000 laris (approximately $181,800). However, because of the time she had already served in custody at Women’s Prison No. 5 in Rustavi, she was allowed to leave immediately. As part of the penalty, her family agreed to pay the fine.
Georgian authorities discovered 12 kilograms of marijuana and 2 kilograms of hashish in Culley’s luggage. The British teenager claimed she was forced to commit the crime “under pressure and torture.”
Culley’s parents reported her missing to Thai police after failing to contact her for several days. Thai authorities joined the search, and Bella’s father, Niel Culley, traveled to Thailand to look for his daughter. Her mother later told RFE/RL that after Bella went missing in Thailand, she was allegedly tortured and then forced to fly with the drugs to Georgia.
While Culley faced up to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment, legal experts initially expected the court to keep her in custody for another two years. The decision to release her came as a surprise to Culley and her family. Her mother said she learned of the release just minutes before the hearing, which was closely monitored by British and international media.
As part of her cooperation with authorities, Culley named several people involved in the drug case, according to the prosecutor.
When leaving the courthouse, Culley expressed relief over the decision. “I’m happy, I didn’t expect it,” she said before turning to her mother and asking, “Can we go now?”
https://www.rferl.org/a/georgia-british-teenager-court-release-drugs-thailand-culley/33580139.html
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