Arrest in Tbilisi
The case of Bella Culley, a 19-year-old from Billingham on Teesside, has become an international story after her arrest at Tbilisi International Airport in May 2025. Georgian prosecutors allege that Culley attempted to smuggle a large quantity of drugs into the country. According to local police, officers seized 12 kilograms of marijuana and just over 2 kilograms of hashish concealed in her luggage upon arrival from Thailand.
Such an amount falls under the most serious category of drug trafficking charges in Georgia, punishable by 20 years to life in prison.
Family Background
Culley’s arrest attracted significant attention not only because of the scale of the alleged crime but also due to her family ties. She is the great-granddaughter of Frank Cook, the late Labour MP who represented Stockton North for 27 years and rose to the position of deputy speaker of the House of Commons before his death in 2012.
Her young age, coupled with her pregnancy, has only intensified public and media interest in the case.
The Court Hearing
On Thursday, Culley appeared at a Tbilisi court for a preliminary hearing to review her detention. Addressing the judge directly, she said:
“I hope you understand my story through my eyes. I never thought something like this would happen to me.”
Observers noted that she was emotional yet composed, ending her statement with the Georgian word “madloba” — meaning “thank you.”
After a 30-minute hearing, the judge ruled that she would remain in prison until her trial begins on 2 September, unless a plea agreement is reached earlier.
Defense Arguments
Culley’s lawyer, Malkhaz Salakia, argued strongly for her release on humanitarian and legal grounds. He claimed that Bella had no intention of committing a crime and was coerced by others into carrying the drugs.
“There were people who forced my client to commit this unknowingly,” he told the court.
Salakia emphasized that since the crime was not connected to Georgia directly, and since key witnesses were police and officials who could not be influenced, Bella did not pose a risk if released. He proposed alternative conditions such as reporting to the police twice monthly — or even daily — instead of remaining behind bars.
He also offered a plea deal of 50,000 Georgian lari (around ÂŁ13,500) that her family would pay immediately if she were released.
Pregnancy and Humanitarian Plea
Central to Salakia’s argument was Bella’s pregnancy. Now in her 19th year, she is expecting a baby boy.
“Bella will become a mother soon, she is expecting a boy. I want her to feel this motherhood in freedom. It’s a moment of her becoming a mother for the first time in her life,” Salakia pleaded.
He stressed the importance of proper hygiene and care during pregnancy, particularly during the hot Georgian summer — conditions difficult to guarantee in detention.
Despite these appeals, the court ruled that no new evidence had been presented to justify her release.
Emotional Family Presence
Bella’s mother, Lyanne Kennedy, was present in the courtroom. Throughout the hearing, mother and daughter exchanged reassuring glances and smiles. Kennedy reportedly became emotional when the sex of her unborn grandchild was revealed.
“I’ll come and see you tomorrow, I love you,” she told her daughter as the hearing concluded.
Culley’s father had also traveled to Georgia earlier to be near his daughter, showing the family’s determination to support her through the ordeal.
Diplomatic and Legal Context
Georgia has some of the strictest anti-drug laws in the region. Large-scale smuggling cases such as Culley’s are treated with utmost severity, and the potential penalties are far harsher than those typically imposed in the UK for similar offenses.
The UK Foreign Office confirmed that it is supporting Culley’s family but acknowledged the limitations of diplomatic influence in another country’s judicial system.
“We are supporting the family of a British woman who is detained in Georgia,” a spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, Cleveland Police in Teesside also acknowledged the case, confirming that an 18-year-old woman from Billingham had been arrested abroad on suspicion of drug offenses.
Broader Implications
Culley’s arrest sheds light on the wider issue of drug courier exploitation. Defense lawyers often argue in such cases that young travelers, especially women, are manipulated or coerced by criminal groups into transporting drugs across borders. The profits for traffickers are immense, while the couriers bear the full risk of detection and prosecution.
The prosecution, however, insists that the scale of the drugs seized indicates deliberate smuggling rather than naivety. This will likely be a crucial point in the upcoming trial.
Humanitarian Concerns
The most pressing humanitarian concern is Culley’s pregnancy behind bars. For a teenager facing the possibility of decades in prison, the prospect of giving birth in custody raises profound ethical and human rights questions. Her lawyer has appealed for compassion, asking that she be allowed to begin her journey into motherhood outside prison walls.
Whether Georgian authorities will consider this humanitarian angle remains uncertain.
Looking Ahead to September
Culley’s trial date is set for 2 September 2025. Unless a plea bargain is reached in the meantime, she will remain in custody. If convicted, she faces between 20 years and life imprisonment.
Her case has become not only a legal test but also a diplomatic and humanitarian issue, drawing attention from both the Georgian public and observers abroad.
Conclusion
The story of Bella Culley is far more than a typical drugs trial. It intertwines questions of law, justice, diplomacy, and humanity. She is a teenager from Teesside, far from home, awaiting trial in a foreign country under severe charges — while also preparing to give birth.
For her family, the ordeal is about more than legal arguments; it is about love, hope, and the desire to see Bella free before she becomes a mother.
As September approaches, the world will be watching Tbilisi, waiting to see whether justice, compassion, or a harsh legal sentence will define the fate of this young woman.
