Bella Culley, a 19-year-old from Teesside, is fighting for her freedom from a Georgian jail. Her family has just three weeks to raise £215,000 to secure her release.
Deadline Looms as Pregnant Teen Faces Jail
The teenager, who is due to give birth by Christmas, was hoping to walk free last Thursday. However, Georgian authorities confirmed the full bail sum hasn’t been paid. Judge Giorgi Gelashvili has set a firm deadline of 28 October to raise the money. If the cash isn’t secured by then, sentencing talks will start on 2 November.
Arrested with £200K Worth of Cannabis
Bella was arrested in May after arriving in Tbilisi carrying 14kg of cannabis, valued at £200,000 by prosecutors. She claims she was forced to carry the drugs by a ruthless British gang, who threatened to kill her family if she refused.
Through her lawyers, Bella revealed she was coerced into transporting the drugs from Thailand and subjected to horrific violence – including being burned with a hot iron and shown a beheading video. She even says she didn’t know Georgia was a country before all this.
Lawyer Pushes for Early Release
Bella’s lawyer, Malkhaz Salakaia, said: “A plea bargain has been reached, now the family is mobilising the funds – but we are not there yet. Bella pleaded guilty for bringing the drugs in, but the key question is the conditions and threats she was subjected to. We hope to get her released well before she gives birth.”
Georgian prosecutors are demanding the full street value of the drugs to secure her immediate release, putting enormous pressure on Bella and her family just weeks before her baby arrives.
