Heavily pregnant British 'drug mule' Bella Culley flying home after shock prison release in Georgia
Culley had previously faced 20 years in prison after pleading guilty to smuggling the illicit substances into the ex-Soviet state
A British teenager jailed in Georgia for drug smuggling is flying home to the UK after a surprise plea deal was struck, despite having pleaded guilty to the charges.
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Bella Culley, 19, from Billingham in northeast England, will come back home on an EasyJet flight to London Luton Airport at 7pm.
She has already spent six months behind bars after being caught with cannabis hidden in her suitcase at Tbilisi Airport in May.
The teenager was first reported missing in Thailand by her family, before she was arrested in Georgia for allegedly smuggling in about 14kg of cannabis and hashish.
Her lawyer revealed that a last-minute plea bargain was agreed just before her final court hearing on Monday morning - paving the way for her imminent release.
Read More: Pregnant 'drug mule' Bella Culley, 19, freed from Georgian prison in surprise plea deal
The heavily pregnant teenager had sparked concerns that she may be past the normal 36-week limit to fly.
However, her lawyer assured that she would not need special permission to board the flight.
Culley was said to be desperate start a new life with her baby boy, due before Christmas.
The deal is expected to be formally confirmed later today by Judge Giorgi Gelashvili, according to her legal team.
Culley’s family, who were in court for the hearing, were said to be “stunned” after learning of the sudden U-turn. The teen was seen waving to her mother as she was led away from court today.
The pregnant teen feared she would have to give birth inside the Georgian jail.
Culley had previously faced life in prison after pleading guilty to smuggling the illicit substances into the ex-Soviet state, telling the court she was forced to act as a drug mule by a Bangkok-based gang.
She claimed the gang threatened to kill her family if she refused and said she was burned with a hot iron and made to watch beheading videos as part of the threats.
Until the new deal was agreed, Culley faced the prospect of serving another 18 months in prison after failing to pay a £215,000 fine. Her family had managed to raise £140,000, but fell short of the required total.
Her lawyer, Malkhaz Salakaia, told the court: “We would like to ask the judge to schedule one final hearing to pass the final verdict. 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.”
Last week, Judge Gelashvili deducted six months from her sentence for time already served on remand — but still ordered further jail time.
Culley’s defence team had also been preparing to appeal directly to Georgian president Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former Manchester City footballer, for a presidential pardon if the court refused to release her.
It remains unclear whether President Kavelashvili will intervene, but Culley’s legal team say the new plea deal should allow her to leave custody “very soon”.
The teenager, who became pregnant during what her family called a “disastrous” trip to Thailand, is now expected to give birth outside of prison if her release is confirmed.
Her family was given until today, October 28, to stump up a massive £215,000 in exchange for her freedom.
However Culley family fell well short despite raising almost £140,000.
The sentence was expected to be reduced by five months, which means she would have been free in 18 months.
When pleading guilty, the teen asked her lawyer: “Will I be able to take the baby with me if I go back to jail?”
Malkhaz Salakaia responded: ”Nobody is going to take the baby away from you.”
Speaking after the teen pled guilty, prosecutor Vakhtang Tsalugelashvili told Tbilisi City Court: “The plea bargain has been reached, our conditions have been met – two years of imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 Georgian Lari.”
Mr Salakaia added: “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.
“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.”
This was rejected by the judge, who said there were no legal grounds for a woman to be set free simply for being pregnant.