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British teen Bella Coolie Used to be freed after about six months In a Georgia prison on drug trafficking charges.
The pregnant 19-year-old girl, who appeared overwhelmed by the swarm of journalists asking questions upon her release, said she was “happy and relieved” to be freed and was looking forward to returning home to Britain.
Ms Kuli was accused of smuggling 12 kilograms of marijuana and 2 kilograms of hashish in her luggage at Tbilisi International Airport in May.
She initially faced up to 20 years in prison, but her family paid enough to reduce her sentence and a deal was agreed with prosecutors in the Tbilisi City Court.
Instead, Ms Cooley was sentenced to five months and 25 days in jail – the total time she had already spent in custody.
Below we see how the British teenager’s ordeal unfolded.
Who is Bela Coolie?
Bella May Porter is from Billingham, Teesside. She had hoped to become a nurse after completing an access course at Middlesbrough College, before deciding to travel to South-East Asia in April this year.
Ms Cooley flew to the Philippines after Easter, and traveled with a friend around the islands for about three weeks, her social media posts revealed. At that time she was in the early months of her pregnancy, which is now in its eighth month.
In early May, Ms. Cooley went on a trip to Thailand. But in a few days the holidays will take a dramatic turn.
How did she reach jail after all?
Just days after arriving in Thailand, Ms Kuli was reported missing. The teenager, who had to contact her mother for a FaceTime call at 5.30pm on Saturday, remained in close touch with her family during her journey. But he never did that.
At the time, Ms Kennedy said: “From what we can understand so far, that was the last message that anyone has received. I’m just waiting for her father who is now in Bangkok to come back with any more information. I just want her to be home and safe or to hear her beautiful little voice.”
Ms Cooley has since said that she had joined a Thai drug gang, which forced both her and her family under threat of violence to transport drugs to Georgia.
She resurfaced at Georgia’s Tbilisi International Airport, where she was arrested for possession of 30 pounds of cannabis. One of his charges is illegally importing narcotics into Georgia.
His grandfather, 80-year-old William Cooley, said mirror That her granddaughter might have been taken advantage of.
“She’s not stupid, she’s an intelligent girl. Why did she do that? Did someone dangle money in front of her? We won’t know what happened until we go there and talk to her. We’re just hoping someone can do something. She must be scared.”
At a pre-trial hearing she pleaded not guilty, saying, “I didn’t want to do it. I was tortured and forced to do it. I just wanted to travel. I’m a good person. I’m a university student. I’m a clean person. I don’t do drugs.”
How were the conditions in jail?
During her nearly six months of detention in Georgia’s Rustavi Prison Number Five – which is about 25 kilometers south of Tbilisi – Ms Kuli’s family claims conditions were difficult at times.
Ms Kennedy claimed her daughter had to boil pasta in a kettle and toast bread over candles during her captivity.
Rustavi Prison Number Five, a women-only prison, replaced a Soviet-era building known as the Tbilisi Prison Number 5, which was closed in 2009 following allegations of human rights crimes.
In 2011, soon after the new prison was opened, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT) stated that it was one of the most modern prisons in Georgia.
But an inspection in spring 2023 found several issues at the prison, including a lack of exercise time, an intermittent supply of drinking water and regular verbal conflicts between prisoners. BBC Informed.
Prisoners have also complained about the lack of proper hygiene.
Why has he been released?
A new agreement was reportedly reached just minutes before the final hearing on Monday morning, which would see him immediately released from jail.
His mother, Ms. Kennedy, and the lawyer, Malkhaz Salakia, had spent months trying to raise money to secure his early release in a plea deal with Georgian prosecutors.
Georgian prosecutors were initially considering a two-year sentence, but “decided to consider the time he has already served,” prosecutor Vakhtang Tsalughelashvili told The Associated Press (AP).
In October, Judge Giorgi Gulashvili said Ms. Kuli’s case was delayed to give lawyers more time to finalize a plea agreement because the prosecution and defense teams needed time to finalize the amount for her release.
Attorneys representing the teen are in talks with judicial officials in Georgia, with more details on the deal expected to be released later.
Her family paid 500,000 lari (about £137,000) as part of a plea agreement, under which she was sentenced to only the same amount of time she had already spent in prison.