US EditionPregnant British teenager held on drugs charges freed from Georgian jail
Bella Culley, 19, was released after her family paid a £137,000 fine in a plea deal considering her pregnancy and nearly six months served in Georgian jail.
- On Monday, Bella May Culley was released from a Tbilisi prison after a plea deal, and her lawyer Malkhaz Salakhaia said she will receive her passport and be free to leave Georgia.
- Arrested at Tbilisi International Airport on May 10, Culley was accused of smuggling 12 kilograms of marijuana and 2 kilograms of hashish and had been held on remand for over five months.
- In court, Culley described alleged coercion by gangsters who branded her and threatened her family, harsh detention including boiling pasta in a kettle, and an interlocutor told her `Nobody is going to take the baby away from you`.
- Her family paid a 500,000 Georgian Lari fine to secure a reduced sentence and her release after the court initially sought 800,000 lari; Tbilisi City Court sentenced her to five months and 25 days, equal to time served.
- Under Georgian law, financial plea agreements can reduce or eliminate prison sentences, and Culley could have faced up to 15 years or life imprisonment in the 3.7-million nation.
38 Articles
38 Articles
How pregnant British teen went from Thai holiday to jail in Georgia
British teenager Bella May Culley, who was arrested in Georgia on drug smuggling charges earlier this year, has been released from prison 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 of marijuana and two kilograms 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 tota…
Pregnant British teen arrested for drug smuggling in Georgia released after guilty verdict (World)
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 m...
Pregnant British woman, 19, arrested for drug smuggling in Georgia released in plea deal
TBILISI, Georgia -- 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.
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