Bella Culley: Brit teen who vanished in Thailand jailed for 2 years | World | News
Pregnant teenager Bella Culley, who is accused of being a ‘drug mule’, will serve two years in prison after she reached a plea deal in Georgia. The 19-year-old was facing a life sentence in Georgia after allegedly smuggling illegal drugs into the country.
Bella, 19, today learned that she would have to serve two years in prison in Georgia, meaning she will have her baby inside an ex-Soviet jail after her family fell short of paying a huge fine in exchange for her freedom. Bella, who is 25 weeks pregnant, claims she was tortured until she agreed to smuggle drugs out of Thailand, saying she was burned with a hot iron and shown a beheading video by a Thai gang. The student nurse from Billingham, County Durham had pleaded and struck a deal to walk free with prosecutors.
Mother Lyanne Kennedy, 44, a charity worker, and father Niel Culley, 49, an oil rig technician who lives in Vietnam, were given three weeks to find £215,000 to secure her freedom at the start of this month.
The Teeside parents scrambled to find the cash and eventually handed over 500,000 Georgian Lari (£138,000) today in a plea bargain – just falling short of the sum required.
Bella’s lawyer had previously said the size of the fine paid would determine the length of her sentence – with the possibility of jail time being annulled, depending on how much money was handed over.
Bella pleaded guilty today, asking the judge if she could take her baby with her when she goes to prison. Judge Gelashvili said, “Nobody is going to take the baby away from you.”
Defending lawyer Salakaia urged the judge to release Bella on grounds of her pregnancy after she pleaded guilty and “fully cooperated” with the investigation.
“We would like to ask the judge to release her on bail, given her advanced pregnancy,” they said.
But Judge Gelashvili replied: “There are no legal grounds for changing her conditions, I am afraid.”
Her lawyer, Malkhaz Salakai, previously told the court: “There was no malicious intent on Bella’s part – she was pressured and forced and there is irrefutable evidence of that.
“The bag wasn’t even locked, and it went through three countries and two continents, while Bella to this day is unaware whether Tbilisi is a country or a city.
“Bella didn’t commit this crime, and there are no grounds to doubt her testimony.”
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