As British drug dealer Bella May Culley is released from prison, we look at everything we know about her pregnancy, from her prison conditions to hidden clues to a romantic relationship.
Pregnant drug mule Bella May Culley has sensationally walked free from a ‘hell’ prison in Georgia, in a ‘big surprise’ for the teenager.
The 19-year-old former nursing student, from Teeside, was arrested in Tbilisi in May after 11kg of cannabis and more than 400g of hashish, a potent form of cannabis, were found in her luggage. She pleaded guilty but claimed gangsters in Thailand tortured her and forced her to smuggle drugs.
But she has now been freed after prosecutors decided to modify an earlier plea agreement that would have sentenced her to two years in prison. The British woman would have given birth in prison if she had not been released, as she is reportedly due to give birth to her baby in December.
Bella was photographed leaving a court hearing in Georgia today, with her baby bump visible as she walked hand in hand with her mother, Lyanne Kennedy, who recently made a series of shocking claims about her daughter’s time behind bars at the notorious Rustavi Prison Number Five.
READ MORE: Pregnant Bella Culley photographed with baby bump for the first time since being released from prison
Bella’s family paid more than £137,000 as part of a plea deal aimed at reducing her sentence. He initially faced a possible sentence of 20 years in prison; However, after negotiations between her lawyers and judicial authorities, prosecutors sentenced her to five months and 25 days in prison, time she has already spent in custody.
The teenager could be seen crying with joy today as she spoke on the phone to her father, Niel Culley, 49, telling him: “I’m not in jail anymore!” As Bella prepares to begin her maternity journey back to the UK, questions remain over the identity of the baby’s unnamed father – and the mom-to-be has already dropped some hints.
Following Bella’s dramatic pregnancy announcement, her family insisted she had a boyfriend in the UK, while clarifying that no pregnancy had been mentioned, according to The Sun. However, since Bella had been traveling for two months, it is possible that she did not know she was pregnant.
Bella’s social media posts before her arrest seem to point to some type of romantic relationship. In one post, he compared himself to Bonnie from the infamous crime duo Bonnie and Clyde, talking about carrying out “criminal activities side by side” and “cutting heavy figures.”
A video was uploaded with the caption: “Blonde or brunette? Erm, how about we engage in criminal activities side by side, like Bonnie and Clyde doing heavy figures and fucking on balconies around the world?” Another clip had the caption: “I don’t care if we run away baby as long as I’m by your side.” Despite these repeated nods, no one else appears in the posts and there were no tags.
Bella also mentioned meeting a man named “Russ” or “Ross” during her stay in the Philippines, leading to suggestions that this mystery man could be the father of her child.
Bella’s grandfather William Culley, 80, also said that while she appears to have spent most of March in Thailand, she also spent time in the Philippines with a man called “Ross or Russ,” adding: “Somehow she got sucked into something.”
Relatives also claimed that while backpacking in Thailand, Bella met a group of young people from the northwest of England before she was reported missing. The aspiring nurse’s social media showed her in the company of a strange man, but this individual was never clearly photographed or named. Videos and photographs show student Bella holding a man while riding as a passenger on a scooter, and another shows her apparently smoking a cannabis joint.
Bella’s release comes days after Bella’s mother Lyanne revealed she had been transferred to a “mother and baby” prison unit after spending five months in a cell at Rustavi Prison Number Five in Georgia. Before the move, she was allegedly forced to use a hole in the ground as a bathroom and was only allowed communal showers twice a week and one hour of fresh air each day.
Noting that her new unit has better conditions, Lyanne told the bbc: “Now she has two hours to walk, she can use the communal kitchen, she has a shower in her room and a proper bathroom. Everyone cooks for each other. Bella has been making bread with egg and cheese toast, and chicken with salt and pepper.”
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