Pregnant British teenager Bella Culley’s drug trial in Georgia has been postponed over an “evidence issue” as Thai authorities released CCTV footage they say contradicts her claims of being tortured and forced to smuggle £200,000 worth of cannabis.
The 19-year-old from Billingham, County Durham, appeared at Tbilisi City Court on Thursday wearing a pink t-shirt that showed her baby bump, supported by her oil rig worker father Niel, 39, who urged her to “stay strong” during the brief hearing.
The next hearing was postponed to July 24 while prosecutors and Bella’s Georgian lawyer Malkhaz Salakaia attempt to negotiate a possible plea bargain deal, with the teenager facing up to 20 years or even life imprisonment if convicted.
Plea Bargain Negotiations Underway
Mr Salakaia told The Sun that both sides had entered negotiations over a potential plea bargain. “We haven’t reached agreement yet. Our position is the release of my client and paying the fine. We’ll see where we end up after negotiations,” he said.
The lawyer maintained his client’s innocence despite the release of Thai surveillance footage that authorities say undermines her defence. “I fail to see how that’s substantial. Of course they are going to say that,” Salakaia stated.
He argued that “what hasn’t been said or shown is the fact that the people who brought and handed in this baggage were still nearby and she couldn’t communicate openly. She tried to signal it to them, without being noticed herself, that it wasn’t her baggage but wasn’t paid any attention.”
Thai Authorities Dispute Torture Claims
Thai immigration officials have fiercely disputed Bella’s claims that she was tortured and coerced into smuggling drugs. Police Major General Cherngron Rimpadee released CCTV footage showing the teenager passing calmly through Suvarnabhumi Airport’s automated gates on May 10 without raising any red flags or seeking help.
“This matter is not complicated,” Major General Rimpadee said. Police have reviewed CCTV footage and confirmed that she used a British passport to exit through the automatic passport control channel. As a result, she did not interact with or speak to any immigration officers and simply exited the country.
The Thai police chief added: “There is no evidence whatsoever that any immigration or police officers forced or threatened the suspect to smuggle drugs out of the country. It was a deliberate departure.”
Dramatic Courtroom Testimony
During previous court appearances, Bella had broken down in tears, claiming she was “forced by torture” to carry the drugs. She told the court: “I didn’t want to do this. I was forced by torture. I just wanted to travel. I study at the university… to become a nurse.”
Her lawyer alleged that corrupt Thai police officers were part of the trafficking ring and that when Bella approached one for help, she realised he was involved. Salakaia claimed the gang threatened her family, saying: “They told her: we know the addresses of your parents, we know where your 16-year-old brother is.
The court was shown a scar on her arm which Salakaia said was inflicted with a hot iron before the suitcase containing drugs was given to her. He also claimed she was shown a video of a person being beheaded to intimidate her.
From Missing Person to Drug Suspect
Bella’s case attracted international attention after her family launched a missing person appeal in Thailand in May, unaware she had been arrested 4,000 miles away in Georgia. The teenager had been travelling through Southeast Asia when she vanished, prompting her worried mother Lyanne Kennedy to alert authorities.
Georgian police arrested her at Tbilisi International Airport on May 10 after discovering 12 kilograms of marijuana and 2 kilograms of hashish in her luggage. She had arrived on a flight from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, having departed Bangkok earlier that day.
During her first court appearance, Bella announced she was pregnant, adding another layer of complexity to the case. Her lawyer has raised concerns about the lack of medical care she has received while detained at Women’s Prison No. 5 in Rustavi, south of Tbilisi.
Prison Conditions Raise Concerns
Human rights lawyer Adam Jones from HD Claims described Bella’s situation as “extremely worrying,” particularly regarding allegations of denied medical care. “Even while incarcerated, individuals have the right to basic healthcare, and pregnancy care falls firmly within that,” Jones told the Mirror.
He warned that Georgia, as a signatory to multiple international conventions including the European Convention on Human Rights, must provide minimum standards of care for vulnerable individuals such as pregnant women.
Bella has claimed she has received no medical attention despite her pregnancy, with her lawyer Mariam Kublashvili stating: “She said she asked for a doctor, but the doctor wasn’t speaking English and they couldn’t understand each other.”
Official Response and Evidence
Thai authorities maintain their position that Bella’s claims are “absolutely baseless” and part of a strategy to secure a lighter sentence in Georgia. Lieutenant General Choengron Rimpadee stated that immigration records confirm she departed Thailand at 7:00 am local time on May 10 aboard Air Arabia flight G9822.
“The footage shows her walking normally through passport control. There is absolutely no factual basis to her claims,” he said.
As a result of the case, Thai authorities will register Bella as a “prohibited person” in their immigration system due to credible evidence of involvement in drug trafficking activities.
Family Support
Throughout the ordeal, Bella’s father Niel has remained in Georgia supporting his daughter. The 39-year-old oil rig worker, who lives in Vietnam but maintains property in Billingham, rushed to Georgia after learning of her arrest.
Her grandfather William Culley, 80, expressed his fears from the family home in Billingham: “I am terrified that she is in for a long sentence. I might never see her again – I’m eighty years old.”
He described his granddaughter as “intelligent,” “not daft” and “normal,” insisting she was not someone who would knowingly involve herself in drugs. Bella had recently completed a college course in Middlesbrough and was planning to pursue a career in nursing.
What Happens Next
The Georgian prosecution has charged Bella with “illegally purchasing and storing a particularly large amount of narcotics” and “illegally importing them into the country.” If convicted on all charges, she faces between 20 years and life imprisonment.
The case has been complicated by social media posts showing Bella flaunting money and making references to outlaws Bonnie and Clyde, which prosecutors may use to undermine her defence of naivety.
With plea bargain negotiations underway and the next hearing scheduled for July 24, Bella’s fate remains uncertain as she continues to be held without bail in the Georgian prison system.
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