Arrested North East teen Bella May Culley claims to be 'pregnant' as she's detained in Georgia
by Naomi Corrigan · ChronicleLiveA young Billingham woman facing drug smuggling allegations in Georgia has reportedly informed the court there of her "pregnant" status.
Eighteen year old Bella May Culley is charged with attempting to bring upwards of 14kg of cannabis into Georgia, having been intercepted at Tbilisi International Airport customs. According to the Mirror, Georgian broadcaster Rustavi 2's claim that Culley disclosed her pregnancy to the Tbilisi court.
According to the report, the British national opted to exercise her right to silence concerning the accusations. The broadcaster did not elaborate on her claimed pregnancy.
"The British citizen did not answer the judge's questions regarding the drug offence," reported Rustavi 2. "She only said that she is pregnant and chose to remain silent about the charges brought against her."
Previously, Miss Culley's relatives had sought assistance in locating her, as she was believed to have been vacationing around Pattaya in Thailand. Having lost contact since Saturday, her family travelled to Thailand in search of her, reports Teesside Live.
On Tuesday evening, Cleveland Police revealed they had been made aware she had been arrested in Georgia. And in a post on its website, Georgia's Ministry of Internal Affairs said she stands accused of "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 post indicated that the purported crimes could carry a sentence of up to 20 years or even life imprisonment. Reports from Georgian media have confirmed that a bail application for Miss Culley was rejected in court.
Lyanne Kennedy, Miss Culley's mother, previously shared with Teesside Live that her daughter had set off for the Philippines shortly after Easter, journeying through the islands with a companion. It is understood that she travelled to Thailand around May 3.
She was scheduled to have a conversation with her on Saturday, but since then, the family has lost all communication, and it's believed her mobile phone is turned off. During her plea for assistance in locating her daughter, she expressed: "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."
A representative from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) stated they are providing support to the family of the woman from Teesside and maintaining contact with local officials.
Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community
Join our Breaking News and Top Stories WhatsApp community for all the latest news direct to your phone.
To join you need to have WhatsApp on your device. All you need to do is choose which community you want to join, click on the link and press 'join community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the ChronicleLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you’re curious, you can read our privacy notice.