After Brexit: What’s at stake in the landmark UK-EU summit?
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Day: May 16, 2025
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A BRIT teen held in Georgia on drug smuggling charges could face a gruelling nine month wait in a brutal ex-Soviet prison as she awaits trial.
Bella May Culley was detained at Tbilisi Airport accused of trying to smuggle 30lb of marijuana into the Eastern European country.
Bella May Culley, 18, from Billingham, County Durham, seen in court in Tbilisi[/caption]
A female prison near to Tbilisi, Georgia where Bella is being held[/caption]
Bella faces being caged in an overcrowded ex-Soviet jail after being arrested on drug smuggling charges[/caption]
The 18-year-old appeared in court earlier this week, where she said she is pregnant and invoked her right to remain silent.
But she could now have to wait months in a hellish prison before she stands trial.
The prosecutor has requested 55 days to find evidence before the case is brought to trial, according to BBC reports.
But the broadcaster understands this could be extended by a further further seven months – meaning she could be kept waiting for almost nine months before her trial.
Ia Todua, Bella’s lawyer, said police wanted to work out where the alleged drugs had come from and whether she was “planning to hand it over to someone”.
The lawyer added that the prosecution estimates they will need two months to gather information.
She said: “They said that they had to conduct a lot of investigative activities, so that they can collect evidence, establish where it was from and was she planning to hand it over to someone.
“That’s what they said they want to establish, and they also confiscated her phone.”
Bella could have to wait for her trial in the brutal Women’s Penitentiary No. 5 in Rustavi – a slammer notorious for its hellish conditions.
A report by Georgia‘s ombudsman into the prison laid bare the horrifying conditions of the place where Bella could spend decades behind bars.
If convicted, Bella could be sent down for 20 years – or even life.
The report said: “When prisoners are received at the No.5 Facility,
they are inspected naked and are requested to squat, which the inmates consider degrading treatment.
“According to inmates, this procedure is especially humiliating and intensive during an inmate’s menstrual cycle.”
Before her arrest, Bella had been reported missing in Thailand – while she had been travelling in South East Asia.
RIOTS, HUNGER STRIKES AND STRIP SEARCHES… LIFE IN A BRUTAL GEORGIA PRISON
A report by Georgia’s ombudsman into Women’s Penitentiary No. 5 outlines the horrors that could await the Brit teenager.
“When prisoners are received at the No.5 Facility,
they are inspected naked and are requested to squat, which the inmates consider degrading treatment,” the report reads.
“According to inmates, this procedure is especially humiliating and intensive during an inmate’s menstrual cycle.”
Hygiene problems are said to be rampant, with reports of no running drinking water and clogged drains.
Just earlier this year, the journalist Mzia Amaglobeli went on hunger strike inside the women’s prison in protest against Georgia’s government.
In 2006, a Tbilisi prison saw seven inmates killed and 17 seriously injured in one of the country’s worst ever prison riots.
Authorities were accused of using excessive force.
A Human Rights Watch report has found Georgia’s prisons are “severely overcrowded” – which threatens the safety of inmates.
She had originally jetted to the Philippines to meet an old friend, but reportedly plans last minute to go to Thailand with unidentified strangers.
A family friend has claimed Bella is being “completely exploited”, saying: “She’s just a normal 18-year-old. She’s not some hardened criminal.”
Bella has submitted a formal request for her dad Niel – who lives in Vietnam – and aunt Kerrie to be allowed to visit her in prison.
Ms Todua told the Sun: “When I explained to her the consequences – that she could be sentenced to 15-20 years in prison or life – she was visibly shaken.
“My impression was that she ended up in Georgia without even knowing what she was doing.
“I got the impression she wasn’t expecting those consequences.”
Her family have also taken to social media to warn people about the fake fundraising pages that are circulating online.
Bella’s cousin Claire Taylorson wrote on Facebook: “Please be aware that a GoFundMe has been set up.
“Bella’s family do not want any campaigns such as Go Fund Me, and have certainly not asked for any financial help in this form.
“Please respect the family and the difficulties that they are facing.”
She was detained at Tbilisi airport in Georgia on suspicion of carrying 14kg of cannabis[/caption]
The teenager took to the stand to announce that she was pregnant[/caption]
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