A pregnant drug mule, Bella May Culley, has been released from a prison in Georgia, surprising the teenager. Culley, a 19-year-old former student nurse from Teeside, was apprehended in Tbilisi in May with 11kg of cannabis and over 400g of hashish in her luggage. Although she admitted guilt, she claimed that she was coerced by gangsters in Thailand who tortured her into smuggling the drugs.
After an alteration in her plea deal by prosecutors, Culley was set free instead of serving a two-year sentence, potentially allowing her to give birth outside of prison as she is expected to deliver in December. Recent photos show Culley leaving a Georgia court with her mother, Lyanne Kennedy, who has raised concerns about Culley’s prison experience at Rustavi Prison Number Five.
Culley’s family paid over £137,000 as part of a plea deal to reduce her sentence from a possible 20 years to five months and 25 days, the time she had already spent in custody. Emotional scenes unfolded as Culley, in tears of joy, communicated with her father, Neil Culley, expressing relief at her release. As she prepares to embark on motherhood in the UK, speculation lingers about the identity of the baby’s father, with hints suggesting a possible connection to a man named “Russ” or “Ross” she met in the Philippines.
Before her arrest, Culley’s social media hinted at a romantic relationship, but the identity of her partner remained undisclosed. Her release followed a period in a “mother and baby” unit after harsh conditions in prison, where she was granted improved amenities. Culley’s mother highlighted the better conditions in the new unit, mentioning Culley’s culinary pursuits, including making eggy bread, cheese toasties, and salt and pepper chicken.
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