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Daily Mail
16-05-2025
- Daily Mail
British 'drug mule' faces raising her child in ex-Soviet prison until it is taken away from her when it turns three - as source reveals real reason teenager flew out to Far East
Teenage British 'drugs mule' Bella Culley faces raising her child behind bars in Georgia after she was caught entering the country with £200,000 worth of cannabis. The 18-year-old told court she was pregnant after 14kg of drugs were found in her hold luggage as she entered the Black Sea nation from Thailand last Saturday. She faces a minimum of 15 years if convicted meaning the baby would be raised inside notorious Women's Colony No 5 outside the capital, Tbilisi. It comes as we can reveal Bella has confided in a source close to her legal case that she flew out to South East Asia 'for love'. 'She said that she was in love and that love was the reason she flew out to the Far East,' the source said. 'But she has said nothing about why she had the drugs.' It adds to fears she was taken advantage of by someone involved in drugs trafficking after she posted cryptic messages on social media comparing herself to Bonnie and Clyde days before travelling from Bangkok to Tbilisi via Sharjah in the UAE. Bella's father Niel Culley, 49, and auntie Kerrie Culley, 51, flew out to Tbilisi on Wednesday but have still not been able to visit her in jail due to bureaucracy. Niel, who lives in Vietnam, was seen shaking whilst having a cigarette outside their hotel today and told the press he does not wish to comment on the case. He faces the agonising possibility of his first grandchild being born in prison in a country thousands of miles away from his home. Officials have confirmed to the Mail that they have special rooms for inmates who have children where they can raise them for the first three years of their life. After this period the toddler must be put up for custody with a family member if their mother is still serving their sentence - which would likely apply to Bella. It raises huge complications as, while Bella's family is all British, her child would be born Georgian and citizens of the country are not allowed to hold more than one passport. Georgian lawyer Eliso Rukhadze, who specialises in women's rights, told the Mail: 'Bella would be transferred to a hospital to have the baby and then rushed back to prison. 'Over the last few years, a large amount of funds have been allocated to make the space for mother and babies as comfortable as possible. 'For up to three years, the child would grow up there and the mum would have unrestricted access to the child, including breastfeeding, and then would have to be cared for by a family member. 'The nationality will add complications. If the child is Georgian, and the family is British, they will have to take extra steps to be given wardship of the child. 'It won't be put up for adoption. The child will only be given to members of the family, but it adds an extra layer of bureaucracy.' Fears have been raised over the treatment of inmates in reports on Women's Colony No 5 with inmates reportedly subjected to degrading strip searches and forced to squat for inspection. But Ms Rukhadze insisted measures are in place to support mothers and their children. She said: 'It's not a stressful environment and they try to support these mothers as much as they can inside the prison, including help from a psychologist. 'There is a kindergarten and nursery too. They try to create as comfortable conditions for the child as possible in a prison.'
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Grim-faced father and aunt of British student 'drug mule' emerge from public defender's office in Georgia after they were blocked from seeing the 'depressed and scared' 18-year-old in prison
The father and aunt of British drugs mule suspect Bella Culley have been spotted emerging from the public defender's office in Georgia after they were blocked from seeing the 18-year-old in prison. Father Neil Culley, 49, and auntie Kerrie Culley, 51, touched down in Tbilisi yesterday and pushed for an emotional reunion with the 18-year-old who is accused of carrying 30lbs of cannabis into the ex-Soviet republic. Legal sources told the Mail the relatives tried to visit on Wednesday and again today, but were not allowed because the prison director has not signed relevant paperwork. It is understood they are pushing to visit tomorrow, but are reliant on officials signing it off. Culley was stopped at Tbilisi airport earlier this week in a suspected sting operation and found with 12kg of cannabis and 2kg of hashish with a street value of £200,000. She claimed in court she was pregnant and her lawyer said she had been left 'scared, confused and depressed'. The teenager has been preliminarily detained until July 1 while investigations are ongoing. She is languishing in notorious Women's Colony Number 5 on the outskirts of Tbilisi and could be facing 20 years in prison. Father Neil Culley, 49, and auntie Kerrie Culley, 51, touched down in Tbilisi yesterday and pushed for an emotional reunion with the 18-year-old who is accused of carrying 30lbs of cannabis into the ex-Soviet republic Culley's alleged offences have been covered by local news outlets in ex-Soviet nation, Georgia Her father and auntie have been locked in talks with British Embassy officials since their arrival and are not speaking to the press. Zurab Tatunashvili, a senior customs officer, described the discovery of drugs in the bag of the 18-year-old girl. He said: 'I was inspecting luggage using an X-ray scanner. 'One of the bags appeared suspicious based on its contents, so I marked it with a customs sticker, which indicates that it must undergo a physical inspection in the presence of the passenger in a specially designated room.' Culley's lawyer Ia Todua said: 'The detainee says that she is pregnant. She needs special examination and attention. In addition, in my assessment, she was depressed, confused and scared.' Todua told Radio Free Europe (RFE): 'When the accusation was presented, given that it was a foreign environment for her, it was her first time communicating with law enforcement officers, we agreed on such a position that she should exercise her right to remain silent in order to develop herself.' Law enforcement is expected to contact the suspect 'in a few days' in her detention jail. 'If she wishes to cooperate with the investigation in terms of providing certain information regarding the accusation, this will be agreed upon later,' reported RFE citing the lawyer. It is possible that a separate legal team will be hired. Todua confirmed earlier this week that Culley's father Neil was headed to Tbilisi after having flown to Thailand, where she initially went missing. The British Embassy in Tbilisi told RFE: 'We are assisting the family of the British woman detained in Georgia and are also in contact with the local authorities.' The report said that neither the Ministry of Internal Affairs nor the Customs Department of the Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance in Tbilisi say which country the British woman entered Georgia from, nor whether Georgia was her final destination. Any onward travel plans have not been disclosed. But Todua told RFE that according to the case materials, Culley arrived in Georgia from Thailand and, according to her travel tickets, intended to stay in Georgia. The suspect is accused of carrying 34 hermetically sealed packages containing marijuana as well as 20 packages of hashish into the ex-Soviet republic. Culley sparked a massive international search operation in recent days after she was reported missing while she was believed to be holidaying in Thailand. On Tuesday night it was revealed the teen had been arrested 4,000 miles away on drug offences in Georgia. Footage shared by local broadcasters appeared to show the 18-year-old being walked into the Central Criminal Police Department in Tbilisi while in handcuffs. Culley was reportedly charged with illegally purchasing and storing a particularly large amount of narcotics, illegally purchasing and storing the narcotic drug marijuana, and illegally importing it into Georgia. The country's Interior Ministry has said the committed crime 'envisions up to 20 years - or life imprisonment,' and while she requested bail, the judge overseeing the case decided to imprison her as she posed a flight risk, local media reported. Now, the British teen could face two decades or more behind bars in the country's only female prison, Tbilisi Prison No.5, located 45 minutes away from the ex-Soviet capital. Stark photographs of the facilities sterile interior show what the life the teen could face if convicted and sentenced to imprisonment in Georgia - in a lock up reports say is decaying. When reports first emerged of Culley vanishing, it was believed she was on holiday in southeast Asia, as she was last believed to be in the Pattaya area, near Bangkok. Her phone was also believed to have been turned off. Cleveland Police have since said authorities in Georgia have confirmed that 'an 18-year-old woman from Billingham' had been arrested 'on suspicion of drugs offences and that she remains in their custody'. The teenager's family previously said she first flew out to the Philippines just after Easter this year and had then flown to Thailand around May 3. Culley had been regularly posting on social media and last shared a picture to Facebook on Monday, May 5. Her distraught family initially appealed for help to trace her whereabouts, with police in Thailand also involved in the search. Culley, who recently finished a course at Middlesbrough College with the aim of becoming a nurse, was in regular contact with her mother Lyanne Kennedy. She was scheduled to speak with her on Saturday. Her father Neil Culley and her aunt, Kerrie, had travelled to the southeast Asian country in a bid to get answers. But now, she faces time in Tbilisi Prison No.5. A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report into the lock up previously criticised the 'severely overcrowded' facility after they alongside Amnesty International and Penal Reform International urged the Georgian government to end ill-treatment in their prisons in 2006. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CPT) described the conditions at No 5 as 'degrading', 'inhuman' and as such 'an affront to a civilised society' that same year. A HRW report also detailed the facility as being in a 'state of disrepair' at the time, with 'crumbling' walls and floors with some inmates having to sit on 'two tier metal bunk beds' when they were not sleeping. The bathroom were described as 'decaying and flithy', while all the cells were said to have smelled 'strongly of human sweat, human excrement, and cigarette smoke,' with garbage also found scattered near cell doors. Before police confirmed Culley's arrest, her mother Lyanne told Teesside Live: 'She flew out to the Philippines after Easter with a friend and she was there for three weeks. 'She was posting loads of pictures and then she went to Thailand on about May 3. 'The last message she sent was to me and that was on Saturday at 5.30pm saying she was going to Facetime me later. 'That was the last message anyone has received from what we can figure out up to now. 'I'm just waiting on her dad who is now in Bangkok to get back with any more information. I just want her home and safe or to hear her gorgeous little voice.' Her distraught mother had also told the Sun that she had a bad feeling about the 18-year-old's trip to Thailand. 'I really didn't want her to go to Thailand. I begged her to come home. I don't trust some of the boys over there,' she said. 'But she wanted to meet up with some friends she made over there on a previous trip. I don't know who any of them are.' When Culley's father Neil was told by officers at the Bangkok police station to contact the country's immigration bureau to figure out where she was last staying. The family previously contacted an airline, who revealed that Culley had made a request for a ticket but the payment never went through. Lyanne said: 'When she stopped answering messages I assumed it was because she was flying back to surprise me. But then nothing.' The distraught mother added: 'We think she was last near Pattaya, and was supposed to fly back from Bangkok via Frankfurt according to the itinerary. 'But I never heard anything about picking her up.'
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Family of teenage British 'drugs mule' are blocked from seeing her in prison after arriving in Georgia - as her lawyer reveals she is 'depressed, confused and scared'
The family of British drugs mule suspect Bella Culley has been blocked from visiting her in prison after they landed in Georgia. Father Niel Culley, 49, and auntie Kerrie Culley, 51, touched down in Tbilisi yesterday and pushed for an emotional reunion with the 18-year-old who is accused of carrying 30lbs of cannabis into the ex-Soviet republic. Legal sources told the Mail the relatives tried to visit on Wednesday and again today, but were not allowed because the prison director has not signed relevant paperwork. It is understood they are pushing to visit tomorrow, but are reliant on officials signing it off. Culley was stopped at Tbilisi airport earlier this week in a suspected sting operation and found with 12kg of cannabis and 2kg of hashish with a street value of £200,000. She claimed in court she was pregnant and her lawyer said she had been left 'scared, confused and depressed'. The teenager has been preliminarily detained until July 1 while investigations are ongoing. She is languishing in notorious Women's Colony Number 5 on the outskirts of Tbilisi and could be facing 20 years in prison. Her father and auntie have been locked in talks with British Embassy officials since their arrival and are not speaking to the press. Culley's alleged offences have been covered by local news outlets in ex-Soviet nation, Georgia Zurab Tatunashvili, a senior customs officer, described the discovery of drugs in the bag of the 18-year-old girl. He said: 'I was inspecting luggage using an X-ray scanner. One of the bags appeared suspicious based on its contents, so I marked it with a customs sticker, which indicates that it must undergo a physical inspection in the presence of the passenger in a specially designated room.' Culley's lawyer Ia Todua said: 'The detainee says that she is pregnant. She needs special examination and attention. In addition, in my assessment, she was depressed, confused and scared.' Todua told Radio Free Europe (RFE): 'When the accusation was presented, given that it was a foreign environment for her, it was her first time communicating with law enforcement officers, we agreed on such a position that she should exercise her right to remain silent in order to develop herself.' Law enforcement is expected to contact the suspect 'in a few days' in her detention jail. 'If she wishes to cooperate with the investigation in terms of providing certain information regarding the accusation, this will be agreed upon later,' reported RFE citing the lawyer. It is possible that a separate legal team will be hired. Todua confirmed earlier this week that Culley's father Niel was headed to Tbilisi after having flown to Thailand, where she initially went missing. The British Embassy in Tbilisi told RFE: 'We are assisting the family of the British woman detained in Georgia and are also in contact with the local authorities.' The report said that neither the Ministry of Internal Affairs nor the Customs Department of the Revenue Service of the Ministry of Finance in Tbilisi say which country the British woman entered Georgia from, nor whether Georgia was her final destination. Any onward travel plans have not been disclosed. But Todua told RFE that according to the case materials, Culley arrived in Georgia from Thailand and, according to her travel tickets, intended to stay in Georgia. The suspect is accused of carrying 34 hermetically sealed packages containing marijuana as well as 20 packages of hashish into the ex-Soviet republic. Culley sparked a massive international search operation in recent days after she was reported missing while she was believed to be holidaying in Thailand. On Tuesday night it was revealed the teen had been arrested 4,000 miles away on drug offences in Georgia. Footage shared by local broadcasters appeared to show the 18-year-old being walked into the Central Criminal Police Department in Tbilisi while in handcuffs. Culley was reportedly charged with illegally purchasing and storing a particularly large amount of narcotics, illegally purchasing and storing the narcotic drug marijuana, and illegally importing it into Georgia. The country's Interior Ministry has said the committed crime 'envisions up to 20 years - or life imprisonment,' and while she requested bail, the judge overseeing the case decided to imprison her as she posed a flight risk, local media reported. Now, the British teen could face two decades or more behind bars in the country's only female prison, Tbilisi Prison No.5, located 45 minutes away from the ex-Soviet capital. Stark photographs of the facilities sterile interior show what the life the teen could face if convicted and sentenced to imprisonment in Georgia - in a lock up reports say is decaying. When reports first emerged of Culley vanishing, it was believed she was on holiday in southeast Asia, as she was last believed to be in the Pattaya area, near Bangkok. Her phone was also believed to have been turned off. Cleveland Police have since said authorities in Georgia have confirmed that 'an 18-year-old woman from Billingham' had been arrested 'on suspicion of drugs offences and that she remains in their custody.' The teenager's family previously said she first flew out to the Philippines just after Easter this year and had then flown to Thailand around May 3. Culley had been regularly posting on social media and last shared a picture to Facebook on Monday, May 5. Her distraught family initially appealed for help to trace her whereabouts, with police in Thailand also involved in the search. Culley, who recently finished a course at Middlesbrough College with the aim of becoming a nurse, was in regular contact with her mother Lyanne Kennedy. She was scheduled to speak with her on Saturday. Her father Neil Culley and her aunt, Kerrie, had travelled to the southeast Asian country in a bid to get answers. But now, she faces time in Tbilisi Prison No.5. A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report into the lock up previously criticised the 'severely overcrowded' facility after they alongside Amnesty International and Penal Reform International urged the Georgian government to end ill-treatment in their prisons in 2006. The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment (CPT) described the conditions at No 5 as 'degrading', 'inhuman' and as such 'an affront to a civilised society' that same year. A HRW report also detailed the facility as being in a 'state of disrepair' at the time, with 'crumbling' walls and floors with some inmates having to sit on 'two tier metal bunk beds' when they were not sleeping. The bathroom were described as 'decaying and flithy', while all the cells were said to have smelled 'strongly of human sweat, human excrement, and cigarette smoke,' with garbage also found scattered near cell doors. Before police confirmed Culley's arrest, her mother Lyanne told Teesside Live: 'She flew out to the Philippines after Easter with a friend and she was there for three weeks. 'She was posting loads of pictures and then she went to Thailand on about May 3. 'The last message she sent was to me and that was on Saturday at 5.30pm saying she was going to Facetime me later. 'That was the last message anyone has received from what we can figure out up to now. 'I'm just waiting on her dad who is now in Bangkok to get back with any more information. I just want her home and safe or to hear her gorgeous little voice.' Her distraught mother had also told the Sun that she had a bad feeling about the 18-year-old's trip to Thailand. 'I really didn't want her to go to Thailand. I begged her to come home. I don't trust some of the boys over there,' she said. 'But she wanted to meet up with some friends she made over there on a previous trip. I don't know who any of them are.' When Culley's father Neil was told by officers at the Bangkok police station to contact the country's immigration bureau to figure out where she was last staying. The family previously contacted an airline, who revealed that Culley had made a request for a ticket but the payment never went through. Lyanne said: 'When she stopped answering messages I assumed it was because she was flying back to surprise me. But then nothing.' The distraught mother added: 'We think she was last near Pattaya, and was supposed to fly back from Bangkok via Frankfurt according to the itinerary.' 'But I never heard anything about picking her up.'
