British teenager Bella May Culley, who was arrested in Georgia on drug smuggling charges earlier this year, was released from prison on Monday as part of a plea deal.
Culley, 19, who is pregnant, was arrested in May at Tbilisi Airport and accused of attempting to smuggle 12kg of marijuana and 2kg of hashish into the country.
She was found guilty by a Georgian court on Monday and sentenced to five months and 25 days in prison, the total time she had already spent in custody. Her family also paid a 500,000 lari (about $184,000) fine as part of a plea deal.
Culley and her mother, Lyanne Kennedy, both cried as the verdict was read.
Wearing a cream blazer, the teenager looked overwhelmed as she was released from custody on Monday.
Asked how she felt she said she was “happy” and told reporters that she did not expect to be freed.
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Bella Culley at an earlier court hearing in May. Pic: RUSTAVI 2/AP
Culley’s mother, Lyanne Kennedy, held her daughter’s hand as she was released.
Georgian prosecutors were considering a two-year sentence, but “decided to consider the time she has already served,” case prosecutor Vakhtang Tsalughelashvili told The Associated Press.
Ms Culley’s lawyer, Malkhaz Salakhaia, said she would be given her passport and would be free to leave the country Monday.
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Police footage released in May showed Culley in handcuffs as she made an initial court appearance. Pic: AP
The teenager pleaded not guilty to the charges after her arrest, saying she was tortured in Thailand and forced to carry the drugs.
Her mother, Lyanne Kennedy, who travelled to Tbilisi last week, told reporters the family had paid 500,000 Georgian Lari – about £138,000.
Culley initially pleaded not guilty at a hearing in July to possession and trafficking illegal drugs.
She initially faced a maximum penalty of up to 15 years or life imprisonment, but was in talks with prosecutors about a potential plea bargain.
In Georgia, a nation of 3.7million in the South Caucasus, the law allows for financial plea agreements that can be reached to reduce or eliminate a prison sentence in certain cases.
Such plea agreements are often obtained in drug-related cases.
Culley was reported missing in Thailand before her arrest at Tbilisi Airport on May 10.