Bella May Culley freed: Parents fork out £137k in plea deal for pregnant teenager jailed for drug smuggling charges in Georgia
The parents of pregnant teenager, Bella May Culley, jailed on drug smuggling charges in Georgia, have paid out more than £137k in a plea deal which saw her walk free from court.
A plea deal has seen British teenager Bella May Culley walk free from court on Monday (November 3) after being jailed on drug smuggling charges in Georgia. Her parents paid out more than £137,000 as part of the deal to bring the pregnant teen home.
The 19-year-old who is eight months pregnant, was arrested at Tbilisi Airport in May. It was alleged that the 19-year-old, from Teesside, tried to smuggle 12 kilograms (26.4 pounds) of marijuana and two kilograms (4.4 pounds) of hashish into the country.
Wearing a cream blazer, the teenager’s baby bump was clearly visible as she walked free, holding hands with her mother Lyanne Kennedy. Asked how she felt, Culley said she was “happy” and told reporters she did not expect to be freed.
She was found guilty by a Georgian court and sentenced to five months and 25 days in prison, the total time she had already spent in custody. Georgian prosecutors were considering a two-year sentence, but “decided to consider the time she has already served”, Prosecutor Vakhtang Tsalughelashvili told The Associated Press (AP).
Tsalughelashvili added: “We reviewed the case, taking into account the confession of the accused, her age and condition, and ultimately, the parties reached an agreement.”
Culley’s family paid more than £137,000 as part of a plea deal aimed at reducing her sentence. She could have faced a penalty of up to 15 years, or life imprisonment.
Culley and her mother both cried as the verdict was read out and embraced when the hearing finished. Ms Kennedy told the AP she thought she would only see her daughter after the birth of her grandson. “It was totally unexpected,” she said.
Her lawyer, Malkhaz Salakaia, told AP that Culley would be given her passport and would be free to leave the country on Monday. Ms Kennedy suggested that her grandson should be named after Mr Salakhaia.
The teenager has previously described being tortured by gangsters in Thailand and forced to bring the drugs into the country. In July, she said she “never thought something like this would happen to me”. Mr Salakhaia said: “The torture occurred before the transportation of the luggage, which she never touched. Specific individuals handled and checked in her luggage.”
Mr Salakhaia told reporters that Culley showed visible physical signs of torture upon her arrival in Georgia.