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Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Bella May Culley case: Brit teen's latest Instagram post concerning amid Georgia prison scare
Bella May Culley, a British teenager, could spend up to nine months in a Georgian prison while she is being investigated for drug-related offenses. The 18-year-old from Billingham on Teesside was arrested in Tbilisi, Georgia, and charged with allegedly trying to smuggle 14kg of cannabis. The prosecutor asked for 55 days to find evidence before a trial could start. However, BBC noted that the period could extend to seven more months. Culley told the court that she was pregnant. Now, Bella Culley's TikTok and Instagram posts have surfaced on social media, showing the British teen holding stacks of cash, a pile of £10 and £20 notes held together by a hairband. In another clip, Culley can be seen allegedly smoking cannabis while riding in the back of her car. Authorities are yet to comment on these videos. Read More: Valeria Marquez case: Unknown woman spotted on livestream after Mexican influencer shot While her TikTok posts have been turned private, the 18-year-old's Instagram profile is not available currently. The Daily Star noted that Bella Culley had previously been vocal against narcotics on social media. Her lawyer, Ia Todua, said that the teenager says she is pregnant. 'She needs special examination and attention. In addition, in my assessment, she was depressed, confused and scared.' "They said that they had to conduct a lot of investigative activities, so that they can collect evidence, establish where it was from [the narcotics] and was she planning to hand it over to someone," she added. "That's what they said they want to establish, and they also confiscated her phone." Bella Culley sparked a massive international search operation days ago after she went missing while on holiday in Thailand. On Tuesday, it was revealed that she had been arrested in Georgia. Footage from the scene shows her being walked into the Central Criminal Police Department in Tbilisi while in handcuffs.
Daily Mirror
15-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
'I was in prison like one awaiting missing Brit - they tore off my fingernails'
Bella May Culley, 18, from Billingham, County Durham, is facing up to 20 years in jail in Georgia after she was allegedly caught with 30lbs of cannabis in her luggage A British teenager accused of attempting to smuggle 30lbs of cannabis through an airport may face a lifetime behind bars in a notorious Eastern European prison, where inmates have reported horrifying and "degrading" conditions. Georgian authorities have confirmed that Bella May Culley, an 18-year-old from Billingham, County Durham, was arrested at Tbilisi Airport after allegedly attempting to smuggle 30 pounds of cannabis into the country. At the time of her arrest, Culley was reportedly the subject of an international search, with her parents having reported her missing during a holiday in Thailand - some 4,000 miles away. Footage aired by Georgian broadcasters appears to show Culley in handcuffs being escorted into the Central Criminal Police Department in Tbilisi. She now faces a potential prison sentence of up to 20 years - or even life - if convicted under Georgian drug trafficking laws. According to a statement from Georgia's Interior Ministry, the charges against her carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment. Culley has been remanded in custody while awaiting trial, after a judge denied her bail, citing her as a potential flight risk. If found guilty, she is expected to serve her sentence at Tbilisi Prison No. 5, Georgia's only women's correctional facility. The prison has drawn criticism in the past, with former inmates describing conditions there as 'degrading'. A 2006 report from Human Rights Watch found that both pre-trial detainees and convicted prisoners at Tbilisi Prison No. 5 "receive inadequate food or nutrition and often get substandard or no medical care." "In these conditions they are at real risk of acquiring tuberculosis or other diseases," it said. "Most detainees also lack access to daily exercise and, in many cases, cannot leave their overcrowded cells at all for weeks or months at a time. "In one facility visited by Human Rights Watch, detainees had not been allowed to exercise for over five months. Most detainees do not have regular access to showers and no access to work, education, or any other meaningful activity." They added: "Conditions of detention and the treatment experienced by detainees violate Georgia's own Law on Imprisonment, as well as international standards. There is a widespread and consistent gap between what is provided for in law and what is implemented in practice." Georgia has a history of harsh and often brutal treatment of prisoners, with reports of severe conditions in its correctional facilities. The country has faced widespread criticism for its prison system, which has been marked by overcrowding, poor living conditions, and instances of physical abuse. One anonymous testifier said of her time in a Georgian prison to a human rights committee in the country's parliament: "[They] were beating me. They were insulting me... During torture they drowned [me] in [a] bucket full of water and threatened [me] with rape." Another said: "They tore off my fingernails, damaged [my] skull, broke my leg bones, ribs, nose and teeth. "I am 43 years old, but look like an old man. I often fall down while I am walking." The problem was so widespread in the early 2000s that Manfred Nowak, the UN's then-Special Rapporteur, said in 2005: "There is always the threat of violence in prison in a closed space... torture and prisoner abuse by prison staff was considered to be normal and even encouraged." The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CPT) used more pointed language, calling conditions "degrading" and "inhuman", and going as far as to say they were "an affront to a civilised society" in its own report submitted the same year.
Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Family say Brit teen in terrifying prison was 'obviously taken advantage of'
Bella May Culley, 18, is accused of trying to smuggle up to 14kg cannabis into Georgia and could face decades in prison - her grandad says he's terrified she will get a long sentence The grandad of a British teenager accused of smuggling drugs abroad is pleading for answers. Bella May Culley, 18, could face up to 20 years or life imprisonment after allegedly taking up to 14kg of cannabis into Georgia, authorities in the country said. William Culley, 80, feared he may not see his 'intelligent' granddaughter again, as family members today raced to Tbilisi to see the stricken teenager. He said distraught family members remained in limbo not knowing how the youngster came to be in Georgia saddled with drugs but suggested she had 'obviously' been taken advantage of. Speaking at his home in Billingham, Co Durham, Mr Culley said: 'I'm terrified that she's in for a long sentence. I might never see her again - I'm 80 years old. She's got sucked into something, somehow. She's not an international drug trafficker. 'Can she even tell them who's given her the drugs to take over? I bet she doesn't. These people keep out of the way. It's all just very strange and at the moment we just don't have any answers. We don't know what to think." Mr Culley told how his son, Niel, had flown from his home in Vietnam to Georgia to meet daughter Bella in prison. Neil's sister Kerrie was due to fly to Thailand to help search for her - but discovered while at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport that her niece had been detained 3,000 miles away in Georgia. He said his granddaughter was 'intelligent' and 'not daft' and would not knowingly have involved herself with drugs. Mr Culley said: 'She was just going on holiday and then we never heard from her. We feared the worst because nobody knew where she was. 'Kerrie called me last night and said she had been found. I said, 'how can you have found her? You're in Schiphol'. And she said 'we found her, she's in jail'. 'I said, 'in jail? what's she doing in jail? And then she said, 'drugs'. I couldn't believe it. Who the hell has she been with? "She was on holiday with some friends, doing what 18-year-olds do - drinking and dancing. They must have met somebody who's taken advantage of her." Mr Culley described his granddaughter as a 'normal' 18 year old who lived with her brother and mother in social housing in Billingham. She had recently completed a college course in Middlesbrough and was making plans to enter the nursing profession. Mr Culley said: 'She's not daft, she's an intelligent girl. Why has she done it? Has someone dangled money in front of her? We just don't know what has gone on until we get out there and talk to her. 'We are just hoping that somebody can do something. She must be terrified.' Broadcasters in Georgia shared footage appearing to show the handcuffed 18-year-old being walked into the Central Criminal Police Department in Tbilisi while in handcuffs, and she now faces up to 20 years in an infamous prison. Georgia's Interior Ministry said in a statement this week that it "envisions up to 20 years - or life imprisonment" for Ms Culley's alleged crime. She has been remanded to jail as she awaits trial, with local media claiming she poses a flight risk after her bid for bail was rejected by a judge.
Wales Online
14-05-2025
- Wales Online
Brit teen, 18, 'seen in handcuffs in Georgia' after going missing in Thailand
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A British teen, Bella May Culley, has been arrested in Georgia after going missing while holidaying in Thailand. The 18-year-old was reportedly arrested over 'drug offences' in the Eastern European nation. She has been accused of smuggling 30 pounds of cannabis through the country's airport and could face life behind bars because of it. Read more: Inside the world of Britain's 'dullest man' Kevin Beresford An update on Culley's missing case came last night, when the Cleveland Police, which had been assisting with the family's missing person's enquiry, said: "Update on Billingham woman who was reported missing overseas. "We have this afternoon had confirmation from the authorities in Georgia that an 18-year-old woman from Billingham has been arrested there on suspicion of drugs offences and that she remains in their custody." Originally from Billingham, County Durham, Culley was allegedly seen in footage shared by local broadcasters that appeared to show her being walked into the Central Criminal Police Department in Tbilisi while in handcuffs. She was caught with the drugs during a scanner check at Tbilisi International Airport. Local media has claimed that "34 hermetically sealed packages containing marijuana were found in the passenger's bag, as well as 20 packages of hashish." They add that the nation's Interior Ministry said the crime could see "up to 20 years - or life imprisonment." Culley's charges include illegally purchasing and storing a particularly large amount of narcotics, illegally purchasing and storing the narcotic drug marijuana, and illegally importing it into Georgia, according to the Daily Mail. It is believed Culley's family had lost contact with her during her backpacking trip to Thailand. The situation risks putting an end to Culley's aspirations of becoming a nurse, as the teenager recently finished a course on the profession. It also seems unlikely she will receive any special treatment in Georgia, as the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) states it cannot get Brits out of jail in Georgia or help anyone get special treatment because they are British. Its website reads: "It is usual in Georgia for cells/dormitories to be shared. There is no set maximum number of occupants, rather it depends on the type of facility, size of the room, etc." The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CPT) described the conditions at the prison as "degrading" and "inhuman".
Daily Mirror
14-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Inside hellhole jail where Brit teen could spend life with horror 'naked squats'
Georgia's Interior Ministry said it "envisions up to 20 years - or life imprisonment" in a statement this week for Bella May Culley after the 18-year-old was detained in Tblisi A Brit teenager suspected of smuggling 30 pounds of cannabis through an airport could spend her life behind the bars of a notorious Eastern European prison where inmates have complained of "degrading" treatment. Georgian authorities revealed this week that Bella May Culley, from Billingham, County Durham, was detained at Tblisi Airport after being accused of carrying the drug into the country. She was the subject of an international search operation at the time, with her parents having reported her missing during a holiday in Thailand 4,000 miles away. Broadcasters in Georgia shared footage appearing to show the handcuffed 18-year-old being walked into the Central Criminal Police Department in Tbilisi while in handcuffs, and she now faces up to 20 years in an infamous prison. Georgia's Interior Ministry said in a statement this week that it "envisions up to 20 years - or life imprisonment" for Ms Culley's alleged crime. She has been remanded to jail as she awaits trial, with local media claiming she poses a flight risk after her bid for bail was rejected by a judge. If she is convicted, she would likely serve her sentence at Georgia's only female prison, Tblisi prison No.5, an institution where prisoners have complained about "degrading" treatment. A 2015 report from a monitoring group with the Georgian Public Ombudsman revealed that new intake prisoners are "inspected naked and are requested to squat", something inmates "consider degrading treatment". The report adds: "It should be mentioned that such inspections take place every time an accused/convicted person enters or leaves the penitentiary facility." "According to inmates, this procedure is especially humiliating and intensive during an inmate's menstrual cycle. Insome cases, because of the nature of such procedures, inmates refuse services offered outsideof the facility or choose to miss court hearings." At the time of the report, the prison was home to just under 300 female inmates "of legal age", 52 of whom were accused and around 220 convicted. Three of them were sentenced to life imprisonment. Prisoners complained of "hygiene and sanitation problems", with members of the monitoring group finding standards were "violated significantly". The group also found that showers at the facility were "separated by rusting metal walls and without ventilation" and that some had windows without any glass panes. A separate report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) submitted nine years earlier in 2006 found the facility was "severely overcrowded", with Amnesty International and Penal Reform International at the time urging the Georgian government to end ill-treatment in their prisons. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CPT) used more pointed language, calling conditions "degrading" and "inhuman", and going as far as to say they were "an affront to a civilised society" in its own report submitted the same year.
