Drugs mule Bella Culley's baby dad mystery and clues she left before jail hell
Bella May Culley claimed she was forced to transport the drugs by gangsters.
Pregnant drug mule Bella May Culley has sensationally been freed from a 'hellhole' prison in Georgia, in a 'huge surprise' to the teen.
The 19-year-old former student nurse, from Teeside, was arrested in Tbilisi in May after 11kg of cannabis and more than 400g of hashish - a potent form of cannabis - were discovered in her luggage. She pleaded guilty, but claimed gangsters in Thailand tortured her and forced her into smuggling the drugs, reports the Mirror.
However, Bella has now been released after prosecutors decided to alter a previous plea deal that would have seen her sentenced to two years behind bars. The Brit would have given birth in prison if she hadn't been freed, as she is reportedly due to have her baby in December.
The pregnant teen was photographed today leaving a court hearing in Georgia, her baby bump visible as she walked hand in hand with her mum, Lyanne Kennedy, who recently made a number of shocking claims about her daughter's time behind the bars of the notorious Rustavi Prison Number Five.
Bella's family shelled out more than £137,000 as part of a plea deal aimed at reducing her sentence. She initially faced a possible 20 years in prison; however, following negotiations between her lawyers and judicial authorities, prosecutors sentenced her to five months and 25 days inside, the time she's already spent in custody.
The teen could be seen weeping tears of joy today as she chatted with her dad, Niel Culley, 49, on the phone, telling him, "I'm not in jail anymore!". As Bella prepares to begin her motherhood journey back in the UK, questions remain as to the identity of the baby's unnamed father, with the mum-to-be having previously dropped a few clues.
Following Bella's bombshell pregnancy announcement, her family insisted she had a boyfriend back home in the UK, while clarifying that there had been no mention of a pregnancy, according to The Sun. However, given that Bella had been travelling for two months, it's possible that she may not have known she was pregnant.
Bella's social media posts before her arrest appear to indicate some sort of romantic relationship. In one post, she likened herself to Bonnie from the infamous crime duo Bonnie and Clyde, discussing carrying out "criminal activities side by side" and "making heavy figures."
One video was uploaded with the caption: "Blonde or brunette? Erm how about we get up to criminal activities side by side like Bonnie n Clyde making heavy figures and f****** on balconies all over the world." Another clip was captioned: "Don't care if we on the run, baby, as long as I'm next to u." 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 time in the Philippines, sparking suggestions that this mystery man could in fact be the dad of her child.
Bella's grandad, 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: "She's got sucked into something, somehow."
Family members also claimed that, during her time backpacking in Thailand, Bella hooked up with a group of young men from the north west of England before she was reported missing. The aspiring nurse's social media showed her in the company of a male stranger, but this individual was never clearly pictured or named. Videos and photographs show student Bella holding onto a man while riding pillion on a scooter, with another showing her seemingly smoking a cannabis joint.
Bella's release comes days after Bella's mum, Lyanne, revealed that she'd been transferred to a "mother and baby" unit in prison following a five-month stint in a jail cell at Georgia's Rustavi Prison Number Five. Before the move, she was allegedly forced to use a hole in the ground for a toilet, and was only permitted communal showers on a twice-weekly basis, and one hour of fresh air each day.
Noting that her new unit has better conditions, Lyanne told the BBC : "She now gets two hours out for walking, she can use the communal kitchen, has a shower in her room and a proper toilet. They all cook for each other. Bella has been making eggy bread and cheese toasties, and salt and pepper chicken."