Pregnant British teen accused of drug-smuggling moved to baby unit in Georgian prison | Georgia
A pregnant British teenager accused of drug trafficking has been transferred to the mother-baby unit at a Georgia prison, her mother said.
Bella May Culley, 19, who was reportedly eight months pregnant, was arrested at Tbilisi airport in May.
The 19-year-old, from Teesside in north-east England, is alleged to have tried to smuggle 12 kg (26.4 lb) of cannabis and 2 kg (4.4 lb) of cannabis into the country.
Culley’s mother, Lyanne Kennedy, told the BBC that her daughter had been transferred to a prison with a mother-baby unit.
He was previously held in Rustavi Prison No. 5; The broadcaster reported that he had a hole in the floor for the toilet, had an hour of fresh air every day, and shared showers twice a week.
Kennedy told the BBC that Culley had been toasting bread over a candle flame and boiling pasta in a kettle during his time there, but that he had now been transferred to a different prison and his condition appeared to have improved.
“He now goes for two-hour walks, can use the shared kitchen, has a shower in his room and a decent toilet,” Kennedy told the BBC. “They all cook for each other; Bella makes egg rolls, cheese toasties, and salt and pepper chicken.”
Kennedy said the family did their best to get Culley “where he needed to be.”
She said her daughter’s full story “will come in time”, adding: “Until then we are just a family doing everything we can for my daughter and grandson.”
The young man reportedly explained that he was tortured by gangsters in Thailand and forced to smuggle drugs into the country.
Culley is expected to learn his sentence on Monday after his lawyers met with judicial authorities in Georgia. His family paid more than £137,000 as part of a plea deal aimed at reducing his sentence.
His lawyer, Malkhaz Salakaia, told the BBC that once an agreement was reached he would appeal to the Georgian president to pardon the teenager.
