Huge update in case of Brit drug mule Bella Culley as pregnant teen set to walk free
A huge update in the case of drug mule Bella Culley could see the pregnant teenager released from prison.
Culley had faced a possible 20 years behind bars in the Eurasian country over charges of drug trafficking, with the 19-year-old claiming she had been forced into smuggling £200,000 worth of cannabis from Thailand.
She'd pleaded not guilty to the charges after her arrest.
The teenager was expected to be handed a two-year sentence in a court in the nation's capital, Tbilisi, after her parents paid a fine of £140k to the Georgian court; however, an update from her lawyer, Malkhaz Salakaia, confirmed that she will now be released.
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Speaking to The Mirror today (3 November), the 19-year-old's mother, Lyanne Kennedy, expressed her joy over the fact that Culley would be coming home in the next couple of days.
"I am so happy, so happy. I know I don't look like it, but so happy," she said. "We will need to get her passport and then we leave, either today or tomorrow."
It is understood that Culley's good behaviour in prison and advancing pregnancy are reasons behind her release.
"It was our initiative - we took into consideration her age, her condition and her good behaviour, and that she fully cooperated," Prosecutor Vakhtang Tsalugelashvili said of the decision.
"We would like to ask the judge to schedule one final hearing to pass the final verdict," Salakaia previously told the court.
"She pleaded guilty, fully cooperated with the investigation, and the plea bargain has just been reached.
"So we would like to ask the judge to release her on bail, given her advanced pregnancy."
A visibly pregnant Culley was later filmed as she was released from court, telling reporters that she was 'happy and relieved' to be free.
The teenager answered questions from reporters, revealing she wasn't expecting to be free today and was 'happy' when her lawyer broke the news to her.
Culley then thanked her lawyer before leaving the court with her mother.
Topics: UK News, World News
Brenna Cooper