'Missing' Brit teen could raise baby in hellhole ex-Soviet prison
British teenager Bella May Culley could be forced to have a baby inside a Georgian prison after being arrested on suspicion of importing cannabis into the country
Suspected British drug smuggler Bella May Culley could bring up a baby behind bars in Georgia. The 18-year-old – who has said she's pregnant – faces up to a lifetime jail term after being accused of importing cannabis.
Bella's being held in the former Soviet state's Women's Prison No.5, where kids are understood to be able to stay with mums up to age three – with special rooms provided. It comes as Bella's dad Niel is still thought to be waiting for an emotional reunion with his daughter at the prison, about a 45-minute drive south of capital Tbilisi. She has written to prison authorities requesting permission for a visit from her family but the process takes up to five working days.
Bella had vanished in Thailand before turning up in Georgia where she was on TV handcuffed to a court official. The Brit is accused of carrying about 12kg of cannabis and around 2kg of hashish into Georgia.
The teenager, from Billingham on Teesside, told a court she's pregnant. She faces a lengthy spell behind bars if found guilty — which could be life in the worst-case scenario.
Women's rights lawyer Eliso Rukhadze explained the likely scenario if Bella went into labour while in prison in Georgia. The lawyer said: 'She [Bella] would be transferred to a hospital [to give birth] and then back.'
She added: 'Over the last years, large amounts of funds have been allocated to make the space as comfortable as possible in Georgian prisons for mothers with babies. Up to the age of three, the child would grow up there [in prison] and the mum would have unrestricted access to the child, including breastfeeding.
'Then, once the child is over three, they would be given to the rest of the family. It's not a stressful environment and they try to support these mothers as much as they can, including getting help from a resident psychologist.
'Full medical service is provided – including diagnostics, except surgeries. Equipment is modern. There is a nursery too, trying to create as comfortable conditions for the child as it is possible in the prison.'
In 2018, a Penal Reform International Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer said of Women's Prison No.5: 'The prison comprises a series of cell blocks and training facilities as well as an administrative building, all within tarmacked grounds where women hang up washing or use the public telephones.
'Each cell block has its own training room, where women can participate in courses such as traditional Georgian felt making, beauty therapy and hairdressing. There is also a sewing enterprise run by Women in Business, where around 50 women are employed under a contract with the Ministry of Corrections to make mattresses for men's prisons.
'The women can earn a wage, which they can either send to their families outside or spend on themselves in prison.' Back in the UK, Bella's granddad revealed she had told him that she was travelling to the Philippines.
"She went to the Philippines to see somebody, a lad there, who she used to go out with a couple of years ago, who was working out there,' William Culley said earlier this week. "She said, 'I'm going on my own, but I'm meeting Ross out there. Or Russ, I'm not sure what his name is. He was working out there for his father's company or something. But now I wonder if what she told me was true."
Bella's dad Niel lives in Vietnam but retains a property in Billingham. Mr Culley said he had been instructed by his son to market the house to raise money towards legal help for his daughter. Bella is reportedly the great-granddaughter of the late Labour MP Frank Cook.
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