Bella May Culley, the British teenager suspected of drug smuggling, has voiced her dissatisfaction with the medical care she's receiving in a Georgian prison and is yearning for home, according to her lawyer. The 18 year old, who has claimed to be pregnant in court, mysteriously disappeared in Thailand before reappearing in Georgia. She now faces the possibility of life imprisonment for allegedly smuggling cannabis into the country.

Celebrity lawyer Mariam Kublashvili, known for representing speedboat killer Jack Shepherd, has visited Bella and described her as "very open" and "charming". The young woman from Billingham, Teesside, has expressed her dislike for the prison food, requesting fruit and warmer clothes, and, as per Kublashvili, "would very much like to go home".

Kublashvili, who has graced Georgia's version of Strictly Come Dancing, generously offered her legal services to Bella pro bono after their thirty-minute meeting on Monday. Culley is currently detained at Women's Prison No. 5 in Rustavi, just south of Tbilisi, the capital of the former Soviet nation, reports .

Arrested at Tbilisi International Airport on 11 May, she stands accused of importing approximately 12kg of cannabis and around 2kg of hashish into Georgia. Should she be convicted, Bella faces a severe sentence, potentially life imprisonment in the most extreme case. Kublashvili highlighted: "She is pregnant and needs medical care which she complained she wasn't getting - there were no tests / checks or medical examinations done, she told me. She said she asked for a doctor, but the doctor wasn't speaking English and they couldn't understand each other."

Kublashvili, 39, spoke highly of Bella, stating: "Initial impression was very positive - she is very open, very pleasant, charming. She doesn't fit a profile of [a] drug trafficker at all. For anyone with any experience in dealing with such legal cases, it would be quite obvious that she is a victim here, [that] she's been used and manipulated."

As a parent herself, Kublashvili empathised with Bella's family, saying: "I have a 20-year-old child myself and can only imagine what her parents must be feeling."

Bella's father, Niel, has travelled to Georgia, and according to Kublashvili, Bella expects him to visit either on Tuesday or the day after. Bella also made some requests, as Kublashvili explained: "[She] Asked me if a jumper and warmer clothes (size M) could be sent to her. Which obviously I am happy to do. She wants fruits as well - doesn't like what she is fed in the prison at all. I will be sending fruit over too. Said she would very much like to go home."

Kublashvili also mentioned that Bella is getting along well with her two cellmates and has requested her to contact her father. She added: "[Bella] Asked me to get in touch with her dad - she said she knew he was getting lawyers and that carried a significant financial costs. I offered my services pro bono."

Last year, Shepherd was released after serving half of his sentence for the manslaughter of 24 year old Charlotte Brown. Brown tragically drowned in 2015 when his boat capsized on the Thames during a date. He was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence at the Old Bailey in 2018, despite being absent from the trial. Shepherd, who had been on the run in Georgia, eventually surrendered himself and was extradited back to the UK in 2019.