British teen Bella Culley told ‘substantial’ sum would free her

Tom BurgessBBC News, North East and Cumbria andRayhan DemytrieCaucasus correspondentRustavi 2Bella Culley, pictured at a previous hearing, appeared at Tbilisi City CourtA British teenager on trial in Georgia for drug smuggling has been told a “substantial” sum of money is needed to free her or reduce her sentence.Bella Culley, 19, from Billingham, Teesside, had previously been told she could face up to 20 years in jail or life imprisonment if convicted.Tbilisi City Court heard defence and prosecution teams were negotiating the terms of a bargain which would see the teenager freed for a sum of money with “many zeros”, understood to be in Georgian Lari.During the hearing the teenager smiled at her family, telling them: “I love you.”Miss Culley, who is about five months pregnant, appeared in court wearing a black t-shirt and trousers. The prosecutor argued she posed a flight risk and could reoffend if allowed bail.Judge Giorgi Gelashvili ruled that she will remain in custody until the next hearing on 9 October unless an agreement is reached sooner.Rayhan Demytrie/BBCBella Culley was detained inside prison number 5 while waiting for her trialMiss Culley initially went missing in Thailand before being arrested at Tbilisi International Airport on 10 May.It is understood she arrived on a flight from Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates.Georgian Police said officers seized narcotic drugs from a travel bag.Miss Culley was detained for months while the prosecution investigated where the 12kg (26lbs) of marijuana and 2kg (4.4lbs) of hashish came from, and whether she was planning to hand them over to someone else.At a hearing in July she pleaded not guilty to charges of possession and trafficking illegal drugs and claimed she had been “forced to do this through torture”.”I just wanted to travel,” she said. “I am a good person. I am a student at university. I am a clean person. I don’t do drugs.”Miss Culley’s lawyer said the plea bargain sum under negotiation was substantial but, if her family was ready to pay, it could result in her freedom.



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