‘Traumatic' update on Brit ‘threatened with beheading' by gang to 'force her to smuggle' £200k worth of drugs

It's been nearly two months since British teenager Bella May Culley was arrested in Georgia after being discovered with £200k worth of drugs.

The 18-year-old had been reported missing by her family as they believed her to be on holiday in Thailand, but she turned up a few days later in Tbilisi, Georgia, where she was arrested at the airport after a huge amount of cannabis was discovered in her suitcase.

Her alleged crimes can carry a sentence of up to 20 years in the country’s only female prison, Tbilisi Prison No.5, but she continues to claim that she was forced into her actions by a gang who tortured her and threatened her with beheading if she did not do as they said.

In an emotional outburst in court earlier this week, she said: "I didn't want to do this. I was forced by torture. I just wanted to travel. I study at the university… to become a nurse.

"All I wanted to do was to travel and this happened to me. I'm clean - I had nothing in my blood test. I wanted to make my family proud. Thanks for listening."

Bella Culley is currently being held in Georgia and is accused of drugs smuggling (TikTok/@bellamayculleyx)

It was also revealed during her ongoing court case that the teenager is currently pregnant, and now there are serious fears that she is not receiving the care she needs while she awaits her sentencing in Georgia.

Bella has claimed that she's received no medical care at all, while her lawyer, Mariam Kublashvili, said: "She is pregnant and needs medical care which she complained she wasn't getting – there were no tests or checks or medical examinations done, she told me. She said she asked for a doctor, but the doctor wasn't speaking English and they couldn’t understand each other."

A UK lawyer has described her situation as 'extremely worrying', while also sharing a traumatic update to this already harrowing case.

Adam Jones, from law firm HD Claims, told the Mirror: "If Bella were to give birth while imprisoned, her baby would likely be taken into the care of the state or handed over to relatives, depending on the circumstances and Georgian family law.

"Immediate separation after birth can have traumatic effects, both psychologically and physically, particularly without proper postnatal care or support systems in place.

"Her case highlights a broader issue: the urgent need for transparent oversight in how prisons handle the care of pregnant women, especially foreign nationals.

Drugs which Georgian officials claim were seized from Bella Culley's bag (Ministry of Internal Affairs)

"Without international scrutiny or legal intervention, individuals like Bella risk being left without even the most basic care, simply because of where they are."

He also raised serious concern about the allegations of medical care being denied, pointing out that the prison would be violating several UN conventions if that proves to be true.

He added: "Even while incarcerated, individuals have the right to basic healthcare, and pregnancy care falls firmly within that. Georgia is a signatory to multiple international conventions, including the European Convention on Human Rights and the UN's Convention Against Torture.

"These establish a minimum standard of care, especially for vulnerable individuals such as pregnant women. Day-to-day, Bella should be receiving routine antenatal check-ups, access to qualified medical professionals, proper nutrition, and immediate care in the event of complications. Denial of such care may breach Article 3 of the ECHR, which prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment.

"Vulnerable prisoners, especially young women, often face language barriers, limited access to legal support, and difficulty advocating for themselves in an unfamiliar system."