Pregnant teenager accused of drug smuggling in Georgia ‘happy’ to be freed
Bella May Culley, 19, was arrested at Tbilisi Airport in May.
A pregnant British teenager held over drug smuggling offences in Georgia said she is “happy” to be released from prison.
Bella May Culley, 19, 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 that she did not expect to be freed.
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).
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.
“We reviewed the case, taking into account the confession of the accused, her age and condition, and ultimately, the parties reached an agreement,” Tsalughelashvili added.
Culley’s family has 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
Mr Salakhaia has told reporters that Culley showed visible physical signs of torture upon her arrival in Georgia.
