Student nurse Bella Culley was arrested in Tbilisi in May after 11kg of cannabis and over 400g of hashish, a highly potent form of cannabis, were found in her luggage
20:00, 28 Oct 2025
Bella, a student nurse from Billingham, Teesside, went missing in Pattaya, Thailand, in May before later turning up in Georgia(Image: Facebook)
Pregnant alleged drug smuggler Bella Culley’s lawyers are hoping to get her released from jail before she gives birth, the Mirror can reveal.
The revelation comes despite the 19-year-old Brit agreeing a plea deal which will see her handed a two year jail term. Culley, reportedly due to give birth in December, will be formally sentenced next week for allegedly attempting to smuggle drugs into Georgia from Thailand.
A court in the capital Tbilisi today heard Culley’s family, including her mum Lyanne Kennedy, 44, and her dad Niel Culley, 49, an oil rig technician, have paid £138,000 to the court.
Bella holidayed in Thailand before her arrest in the former Soviet republic of Georgia in May(Image: Facebook)
It is not known whether she will serve all of her sentence in a women’s jail near Tbilisi, where she is currently being held, or if she could be released to house arrest or extradited to the UK to serve her sentence.
But we can reveal Bella’s legal team are exploring the idea of applying for a presidential pardon, which if granted would see her immediately leave Georgia.
If a presidential pardon bid failed, it is understood Bella could still be released on parole before giving birth due to her pregnancy and good behaviour since her incarceration.
If neither freedom bid materialises, sources in Georgia say Bella will be transferred from jail to a nearby hospital to give birth before being allowed to raise her child behind bars. It is expected she would be given a separate special room in custody set up to accommodate her and her child’s needs.
The teenager is reportedly due to give birth this December after falling pregnant shortly before her arrest(Image: Facebook)
Bella, who was wearing a grey sleeveless cardigan and a pink t-shirt while sporting a new hairstyle, appeared surprised as details of the plea deal were heard during the short hearing at Tbilisi City Court on Tuesday. But the teenager, who has already served five months in jail on remand, was later seen smiling and waved happily at her mum.
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.
Speaking after the hearing, Bella’s mum Lyanne, a charity worker, said the court demanded a higher figure than the family paid in order for her daughter to be released. She revealed: “It was a lot more!”.
Asked about the negotiations, she added: “They did budge [on the amount], but we still couldn’t raise that amount.” It is understood the court originally demanded £220,000 for Bella’s release.
Bella’s mum Lyanne was pictured outside the court in Tbilisi on Tuesday morning(Image: AP)
Prosecutor Vakhtang Tsalugelashvili told the court: “The plea bargain has been reached. Our conditions have been met.”
Bella’s lawyer Malkhaz Salakaia said: “I can confirm. All relevant parties have been informed as well. We would like to ask the judge to schedule one final hearing to pass the final verdict.”
During the hearing, Bella’s lawyer requested that his client be released on bail ahead of the sentencing hearing, which will be held at Tbilisi city court next Monday. Judge Giorgi Gelashvili denied the motion telling him there were no legal grounds on which to change Bella’s conditions.
Mr Salakaia had said: “She pleaded guilty, fully co-operated with the investigation and the plea bargain has just been reached.“So we’d like to ask the judge to release her on bail, given her advanced pregnancy.”
The women’s prison near Tbilisi where Bella Culley is being held(Image: Jonathan Buckmaster)
Bella was heard asking her lawyer: “Will I be able to take the baby with me if I go back to jail?” He told her: “Nobody is going to take the baby away from you”.
Bella, a student nurse from Billingham, Teesside, went missing in Pattaya, Thailand, in May before later turning up in Georgia, which was part of the USSR until 1991. She was arrested after 11kg of cannabis and a smaller more potent haul of the same drug were found in her luggage.
Bella has claimed she was forced to traffic the drugs by gangsters who branded her with an iron, showed her a video of a man being decapitated and threatened to behead her family if she refused to co-operate. At a previous hearing in July, she claimed: “I didn’t want to do this. I was forced by torture… All I wanted to do was to travel.”
Speaking outside court after the hearing, her lawyer Mr Salakaia told the Mirror: “Bella is fine, her pregnancy is going smoothly. She will be able to communicate with the baby once she gives birth.”
