Pregnant British teen arrested for drug smuggling in Georgia released after guilty verdict
By SOPHIKO MEGRELIDZE
Associated Press
TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — British teenager Bella May Culley, who was arrested in Georgia on drug smuggling charges earlier this year, was released from prison Monday as part of a plea deal.
Culley, 19, who is pregnant, was arrested in May at Tbilisi Airport and accused of attempting to smuggle 12 kilograms (26.5 pounds) of marijuana and 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) of hashish into the country.
She was found guilty by a Georgian court on Monday and sentenced to five months and 25 days in prison, the total time she had already spent in custody. Her family also paid a 500,000 lari (about $184,000) fine as part of a plea deal.
Culley and her mother, Lyanne Kennedy, both cried as the verdict was read and embraced when the hearing finished.
Georgian prosecutors were considering a two-year sentence, but “decided to consider the time she has already served,” case prosecutor Vakhtang Tsalughelashvili told The Associated Press. “We reviewed the case, taking into account the confession of the accused, her age and condition, and ultimately, the parties reached an agreement.”
The teenager was informed of the decision shortly before the court session began. Her mother told the AP she had believed that she would only see her daughter in person again when her grandchild was born. “It was totally unexpected,” she said.
She also joked to Culley that she might call her unborn baby in honor of her lawyer, Malkhaz Salakhaia.
Salakhaia confirmed that Culley would be given her passport and would be free to leave the country.
The lawyer also said she believed that the court “made the decision they had to make” based on the circumstances of the case. “Bella was sincere throughout the investigation,” Salakhaia said.
Culley initially faced a maximum penalty of up to 15 years or life in prison.
In Georgia, a nation of 3.7 million in the South Caucasus, the law allows for financial plea agreements that can be reached to reduce or eliminate a prison sentence in certain cases. Such plea agreements are often reached in drug-related cases.
Culley, who is from Teesside, in northeast England, was reported missing in Thailand prior to her arrest at the Tbilisi airport on May 10. The teenager pleaded not guilty to the charges after her arrest, saying she was tortured in Thailand and forced to carry the drugs.
Salakhaia has told reporters that she showed visible physical signs of torture upon her arrival in Georgia.
