Nineteen-year-old Bella Culley from Billingham, Teesside, has been released from prison in Georgia after facing serious drug trafficking charges that could have led to a 20-year sentence. Culley, who is eight months pregnant, was arrested on 10 May at Tbilisi International Airport when authorities found 12kg of marijuana and 2kg of hashish in her luggage. She pleaded guilty to trafficking but said she had been forced by gangsters who tortured her while she was in Thailand.

Following months of negotiations, prosecutors made a last-minute change to her plea bargain, considering her young age and pregnancy. Her family also paid £137,000 to reduce her jail term to two years, but the updated deal allowed her to walk free after five months and 24 days in custody. In court, Culley broke into smiles and hugged her lawyer as she realised she was being released.

Leaving the courthouse arm-in-arm with her mother, both emotional and relieved, Bella expressed that she had not expected to be freed so soon. Her family is now working to retrieve her passport so she can return to the UK as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Georgian authorities are also investigating her claims of coercion by criminal groups in Thailand.

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