Latest news with #MariamKublashvili
News.com.au
20-05-2025
- News.com.au
Teen ‘drug smuggler starving' in prison hell
Pregnant drugs charge teenager Bella Culley has spoken for the first time of her ordeal in a cold jail cell in Georgia - and her cravings for tuna fish. British backpacker Bella, 18, is in custody following her arrest in Georgia's Tbilisi airport with a suitcase of cannabis after going missing 6500km away in Thailand. She will spend at least nine months on remand in a grim Soviet-era jail alongside hardened criminals and faces a sentence from 15 years to life if convicted of importing a huge stash. But no word of how the teenager was coping after six days behind bars in capital Tbilisi's grim No5 Women's Penitentiary had emerged - until today. Bella, from Billingham, County Durham was allowed to speak to glamorous Georgian lawyer Mariam Kublashvili for 30 minutes on Monday. Celebrity lawyer Ms Kublashvili has appeared on Georgia's version of Strictly Come Dancing and represented British 'speedboat killer' Jack Shepherd when he fled to the country. And she told The Sun that the shy and scared young Briton was a victim rather than a calculating criminal who deserves to be caged for years. Ms Kublashvili, 39, said 'sad but calm' Bella appeared visibly cold in a thin green top and green leggings with her hair untied when they met in a draughty meeting room. She constantly thanked the prison advocate during their talk and appeared timid and reserved as she quietly set out her concerns. Ms Kublashvili told The Sun: 'My Initial impression was very positive - she is very open, very pleasant, and charming. She doesn't fit the profile of a drug trafficker at all. 'For anyone, like me, with experience in dealing with such cases, it would be quite obvious that she is a victim here - she's been used and manipulated. 'I have a 20-year-old child myself and can only imagine what her parents must be feeling.' Ms Kublashvili went on to tell how Bella spoke of her pregnancy - and complained she is being denied proper medical examination. The teenager's family are distraught after she flew to the Far East on holiday to meet a mystery man called 'Ross or Russ' who introduced her to Brits suspected of running drug mules. And their concerns were compounded when she announced she was having a baby when she appeared in court to face charges of importing 31lb of cannabis and hashish last Wednesday. Ms Kublashvili said: 'She is pregnant and needs medical care which she complained she wasn't getting. 'She asked me for tuna fish which I thought was odd and might have been something to do with pregnancy cravings - but I found out later fish cannot be sent in. 'She told me no tests, checks or medical examinations have been done. 'She said she asked for a doctor, but the doctor wasn't speaking English and they couldn't understand each other.' Bella's Vietnam-based oil rig electrician dad Niel, 49, and her aunt Kerrie Culley flew to Georgia to support her but have so far been blocked from visiting by jail red tape. The father told The Sun he will stay 'as long as it takes' to help end her ordeal and is currently dealing with a local legal aid lawyer. Niel is estranged from Bella's UK-based mum Lyanne Kennedy who has struggled to find enough cash to fly to Georgia. Ms Kublashvili said: 'She expects her dad to visit either Tuesday or sometime later. 'She asked me if a jumper and warmer clothes - size medium - could be sent to her. 'I'm obviously happy to do that. She wants fruit as well and doesn't like what she is fed in the prison at all. I will be sending fruit over too. 'She is sad and would very much like to go home.' Bella is sharing a cell at the prison with two other women inmates, but it was unclear what crimes they have been accused of or committed, Ms Kublashvili said. The lawyer added: 'She is getting along well with her inmates – two of them, Anastasya and Ani. 'She asked me to get in touch with her dad – she said she knew he was getting lawyers and that carried significant financial costs. 'But I have a great deal of experience helping women in situations like this and want to do all I can for her so I'm offering my services free of charge.' Ms Kublashvili emerged with a food shopping list from the teenager for chicken fillets, beef or veal, bread, apples, pears and pomegranates. Bella was detained in Georgia following a tip-off on May 11 after a 20-hour flight from Bangkok via Sharjah in the UAE with the drug stash in her hold bag. She had spent weeks away having holiday fun in the Philippines and Thailand where she met a group of young men from the north west of England. She joked online of 'Bonnie and Clyde' hijinks and was pictured smoking a suspicious-looking cigarette and showing off wads of cash. Her dad Niel is liaising with the British Embassy in Tbilisi and is understood to be seeking a new lawyer after being denied access to her for nearly a week. Ms Kublashvili is the former Soviet state's best-known celebrity lawyer. In 2019, the tough advocate was previously employed by British 'speedboat killer' Jack Shepherd who fled to Georgia. He was convicted in his absence of the manslaughter of Tinder date Charlotte Brown, 24, who fell out of his speedboat as he showed off on the Thames. Web designer Shepherd from Devon was sentenced to six years in 2018 for Charlotte's manslaughter after being initially treated as a witness after the crash. He bolted to Georgia following his conviction when he was eventually convicted after a jury heard the boat was speeding at more than twice the limit when it capsized. The case sparked outrage when The Sun revealed he won taxpayer-funded legal aid to appeal his conviction while on the run. He eventually turned himself in to the Georgian authorities, but still maintained his innocence, claiming that Charlotte was driving at the time the speedboat crashed. Shepherd, now 36, was extradited to the UK in 2019 and served the rest of his sentence in a British jail before his release last year. He remains on probation and is the subject of a travel ban.
The Independent
20-05-2025
- The Independent
Bella May Culley: Pregnant British teenager's lawyer in warning over Georgia prison conditions
A British teenager being held in a Georgian prison, accused of smuggling 14kg of cannabis into the country, has complained she is not getting the medical care for her pregnancy. Bella May Culley, 18, from Billingham, County Durham, reportedly told a court in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi last week that she was pregnant. The teenager is facing life imprisonment, which is 20 years, after she was arrested on suspicion of carrying dozens of bags of the drugs into the country. Ms Culley had been travelling in Asia, but had not been heard from since 10 May. Speaking to her new lawyer, Mariam Kublashvili, she reportedly said she was not getting the medical care she required. Ms Kublashvili told The Sun: 'Bella is pregnant and needs medical care which she complained she wasn't getting. 'She asked me for tuna fish which I thought was odd and might have been something to do with pregnancy cravings - but I found out later fish cannot be sent in. 'She told me no tests, checks or medical examinations have been done. 'She said she asked for a doctor, but the doctor wasn't speaking English and they couldn't understand each other.' Ms Kublashvili added: 'She doesn't fit the profile of a drug trafficker at all. For anyone, like me, with experience in dealing with such cases, it would be quite obvious that she is a victim here - she's been used and manipulated.' A British Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed that Ms Culley had been detained in Georgia and that they were supporting the teenager's family. Her family first launched an appeal for the missing teenager last Tuesday morning. Her father, Niel Culley and aunt flew out to Bangkok over the weekend to find out more about Ms Culley's whereabouts, only to discover that she was in Georgia. The father said he would stay 'as long as it takes' to end her ordeal.
The Independent
19-05-2025
- The Independent
Bella May Culley ‘not getting needed medical care' in Georgian prison despite pregnancy
A British teenager being held in a Georgian prison, accused of smuggling 14kg of cannabis into the country, has complained she is not getting the medical care for her pregnancy. Bella May Culley, 18, from Billingham, County Durham, reportedly told a court in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi last week that she was pregnant. The teenager is facing life imprisonment, which is 20 years, after she was arrested on suspicion of carrying dozens of bags of the drugs into the country. Ms Culley had been travelling in Asia, but had not been heard from since 10 May. Speaking to her new lawyer, Mariam Kublashvili, she reportedly said she was not getting the medical care she required. Ms Kublashvili told The Sun: 'Bella is pregnant and needs medical care which she complained she wasn't getting. 'She asked me for tuna fish which I thought was odd and might have been something to do with pregnancy cravings - but I found out later fish cannot be sent in. 'She told me no tests, checks or medical examinations have been done. 'She said she asked for a doctor, but the doctor wasn't speaking English and they couldn't understand each other.' Ms Kublashvili added: 'She doesn't fit the profile of a drug trafficker at all. For anyone, like me, with experience in dealing with such cases, it would be quite obvious that she is a victim here - she's been used and manipulated.' A British Foreign Office spokesperson confirmed that Ms Culley had been detained in Georgia and that they were supporting the teenager's family. Her family first launched an appeal for the missing teenager last Tuesday morning. Her father, Niel Culley and aunt flew out to Bangkok over the weekend to find out more about Ms Culley's whereabouts, only to discover that she was in Georgia. The father said he would stay 'as long as it takes' to end her ordeal.
The Sun
19-05-2025
- The Sun
Brit ‘smuggler' Bella Culley, 18, ‘receiving NO medical care' behind bars in grim ex-Soviet jail
BRIT drugs charge teenager Bella Culley is being denied proper medical care in her bleak jail cell in Georgia - despite telling the authorities she is pregnant. Backpacker Bella, 18, is in custody following her arrest in Georgia's Tbilisi airport with a suitcase of cannabis after going missing 4,000 miles away in Thailand. 11 11 11 She will spend at least nine months on remand in a grim Soviet-era lock-up alongside hardened criminals and faces a sentence from 15 years to life if convicted of importing the huge stash. Celebrity Georgian lawyer Mariam Kublashvili, 39, was allowed to visit Bella for 30 minutes on Monday and brought the first news of her condition behind bars. Shockingly, she revealed the pregnant teen had not received a proper medical examination since telling a Tbilisi court she was pregnant. She also assessed that the shy and scared young Briton was a victim rather than a calculating criminal who deserves to be caged for years. Ms Kublashvili said: 'She is pregnant and needs medical care which she complained she wasn't getting. 'She told me no tests, checks or medical examinations have been done. 'She said she asked for a doctor, but the doctor wasn't speaking English and they couldn't understand each other.' The Sun also revealed that Bella could be forced to being up her child behind bars in unforgiving conditions. Experts spoke of their fears for her unborn child which could spend the first three years of its life in a prison nursery. Eliso Rukhadze, Georgian women's rights defender and lawyer told The Sun last week: 'Bella will be transferred to a hospital to have the baby and then rushed back to prison. Bella Culley's dad stands by daughter amid fears drug gangs are targeting Brit backpackers 'Over the last few years, a large amount of funds have been allocated to make the space as comfortable as possible. 'Equipment is modern. There is a kindergarten and nursery too to create the best possible conditions for the child in the prison. 'For up to three years, the child would grow up there and the mom would have unrestricted access to the child - including breastfeeding. 'They 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. 11 11 '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.' Bella's pregnancy has yet to be confirmed by medical checks - but her dad, Neil, 49, appeared distressed as he faced the possibility of his first grandchild being born in prison. Puffing shakily on a cigarette, the dad told The Sun: 'I'm sorry - I don't want to say anything.' Ms Kublashvili painted a sorrowful picture of a 'sad but calm' Bella - who she said appeared visibly cold in a thin green top and leggings with her hair untied when they met in a draughty meeting room. She said the teen constantly thanked the prison advocate during their talk and appeared timid and reserved as she quietly set out her concerns. 11 11 11 Ms Kublashvili said: 'My Initial impression was very positive - she is very open, very pleasant, and charming. She doesn't fit the profile of a drug trafficker at all. 'For anyone, like me, with experience in dealing with such cases, it would be quite obvious that she is a victim here - she's been used and manipulated. 'She is sad and would very much like to go home. I have a 20-year-old child myself and can only imagine what her parents must be feeling. 'But I have a great deal of experience helping women in situations like this and want to do all I can for her so I'm offering my services free of charge." The glam lawyer is the former-Soviet state's best-known celebrity lawyer - and was previously employed by British "speedboat killer" Jack Shepherd who fled to Georgia. She emerged from the jail on Monday with a food shopping list from the teenager for chicken fillets, beef or veal, bread, apples, pears and pomegranates. The 18-year-old had also asked for tuna, which Kublashvili thought could be a pregnancy craving, but that isn't allowed to be sent in. 11 Her others requests included warmer clothes and for the lawyer to broker a visit from her father - which is expected to happen either on Tuesday or later in the week. Bella's Vietnam-based oil rig electrician dad Niel, 39, and her aunt Kerrie Culley flew to Georgia to support her but have so far been blocked from visiting by jail red tape. The father told The Sun he will stay 'as long as it takes' to help end her ordeal and is currently dealing with a local legal aid lawyer. Niel is estranged from Bella's UK-based mum Lyanne Kennedy who has struggled to find enough cash to fly to Georgia. Bella is sharing a cell at the prison with two other women inmates, but it was unclear what crimes they have been accused of or committed, Ms Kublashvili said. Bella was detained in Georgia following a tip-off on May 11 after a 20-hour flight from Bangkok via Sharjah in the UAE with the drug stash in her hold bag. She had spent weeks away having holiday fun in the Philippines and Thailand where she met a group of young men from the north west of England. She joked online of 'Bonnie and Clyde' hijinks and was pictured smoking a suspicious-looking cigarette and showing off wads of cash.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Daily Mail
British teen 'drug mule' Bella Culley 'has been left to freeze in Georgian jail cell and received no medical treatment despite her pregnancy'
Drug arrest Brit Bella Culley has revealed she has been left freezing in her Georgian jail cell and is receiving no medical attention despite telling officials she is pregnant. The 18-year-old has asked for a jumper and warmer clothes and requested fresh fruit after being visited by local celebrity lawyer Mariam Kublashvili. Bella, who is sharing a cell with two inmates called Anastasya and Ani, also requested tuna which Ms Kublashvili believes may be 'pregnancy cravings'. 'She is pregnant and needs medical care which she complained she wasn't getting,' the glamorous Georgian lawyer told the Mail after a 30-minute meeting this morning at notorious Women's Penitentiary Number Five. 'She asked me for tuna fish which I thought was odd and might have been something to do with pregnancy cravings - but fish cannot be sent in. 'She told me no tests, checks or medical examinations have been done. 'She said she asked for a doctor, but the doctor wasn't speaking English and they couldn't understand each other.' Ms Kublashvili, who previously represented speedboat killer Jack Shepherd when he was caught in Georgia, has been closely following the case and said she has great sympathy for Bella's predicament. While she is not representing the Teesside teenager, the former model used a routine visit to her prison to meet her and offered to use her legal clout to get her supplies. Ms Kublashivili, 39, who has specialised in helping female prisoners, said Bella was 'visibly cold' in the drafty meeting room and requested a jumper as she only had on a thin dark green top and blue leggings. She said: 'My Initial impression was very positive - she is very open, very pleasant, and charming. She doesn't fit the profile of a drug trafficker at all. 'For anyone, like me, with experience in dealing with such cases, it would be quite obvious that she is a victim here - she's been used and manipulated. 'I have a 20 year old child myself and can only imagine what her parents must be feeling.' Bella was arrested at Tbilisi Airport on May 11 and found with 12kg of cannabis and 2kg of hashish after getting a £550 Air Arabia flight from Bangkok via Sharjah. But local bureaucracy has blocked her distraught father Niel (corr) Culley, 49, from visiting since he arrived in the country last Wednesday. Ms Kublashvili said: 'She expects her dad to visit either tomorrow (Tues) or after tomorrow. 'She asked me if a jumper and warmer clothes - size medium - could be sent to her. 'I'm obviously happy to do that and she wants fruits as well – doesn't like what she is fed in the prison at all. I will be sending fruit over too. 'But she is sad and would very much like to go home.' Bella is sharing a cell with two other women inmates, but it was unclear what crimes they have been accused of or committed, Ms Kublashvili said. The lawyer added: 'She is getting along well with her inmates – two of them, Anastasya and Ani. 'She asked me to get in touch with her dad – she said she knew he was getting lawyers and that carried significant financial costs. 'But I have a great deal of experience helping women in situations like this and want to do all I can for her - and I'm offering my service free of charge.' Ms Kublashivili said Bella was 'very polite' and 'shy', saying thank you 'every five minutes'. It is the first time the teenage Brit has been heard from since she appeared in Tbilisi city court last week appearing shell shocked dressed only in a skimpy white top and shorts. She had been travelling around South East Asia and only appears to have clothes for the beach despite the cold conditions of her jail cell. Bella was arrested on May 11 and appeared at court two days later which was broadcast locally and word finally reached her family the following day. Father Niel yesterday vowed to stay in Georgia for 'as long as it takes' to bring his daughter back home. Ms Kublashvili is a former model who once appeared on 'The Stars Are Dancing' - Georgia's version of Strictly Come Dancing . She fought to prevent speedboat killer Shepherd from extradition in 2019 after he was detained in Georgia over the killing of 24-year-old Charlotte Brown during a speedboat date on the Thames. He was eventually extradited three months later after Shepherd agreed provided his safety was taken into consideration. He served out the remainder of his sentence and was released on remand in January last year. He is living in the UK and is not permitted to leave the country as part of his remand conditions. Ms Kublashvili's most famous case is defending Temirlan Machalikashvili's family, a teenager shot dead in his bed by Georgian law enforcement who claimed he was linked to ISIS. Ms Kublashvili, who runs her own law firm, has spoken movingly about losing her father at the age of five and had a tough life raised by strict mountain traditions. She went on to start her own law company, and is famous for winning tough cases.
