Pregnant British teen freed from Georgia jail after drug smuggling charge

Pregnant teenager Bella Culley, who had been facing drug trafficking charges in Georgia, has said she felt "happy and relieved" as she was freed from prison.

The 19-year-old from Billingham, Teesside, had initial faced a possible 20 years in jail, but prosecutors made a last-minute change to the terms of a plea bargain.

As she learned of the news in court in Tbilisi, Miss Culley gave her lawyer Malkhaz Salakaia a big hug.

The teenager was detained on 10 May having being arrested at Tbilisi International Airport when 12kg (26lb) of marijuana and 2kg (4.4lb) of hashish were found in her luggage.

Mr Salakaia said prosecutors made the change to the terms of her plea bargain given her age and pregnancy, and decided to free her.

Her family previously paid £137,000 to reduce her sentence to two years.