Locations
Maple Grove, Sedgefield, Stockton-on-tees, Durham, TS21
Description
A 'deeply disturbed' man who raped three women has been jailed for his 'heinous' crimes.
Christopher Bell, also known as Christopher Ward, 33, of Maple Grove, Sedgefield, admitted the offences on the second day of his trial last month. However, a judge called it "deeply disturbing" that he later told Probation workers he did not think anything he did was wrong.
Bell appeared at Durham Crown Court for sentencing on six counts of rape, one of strangulation, and one of assault by penetration. He pleaded guilty after two victims had testified, with the third waiting to do so. Other charges were left on file.
All three victims attended court on Friday (September 26) to deliver impact statements. One, a teenager at the time of the offences, said she is now “an empty shell” compared to her former bubbly self, feeling "heartbroken" daily and suffering insomnia, nightmares, depression, and PTSD.
Another described being consumed by paranoia, unable to sleep due to flashbacks. The third, strangled during rape, said she felt like she was going to die at his hands.
Prosecutor Jane Waugh noted the “heinous sexual offences,” with those against the third victim occurring while Bell was under investigation for the first two.
Defence counsel David Callan said Bell left school with qualifications, attended agricultural college, worked as a landscape gardener and with horses, and has “a strong work ethic” and previous good character. Remanded for over seven months, he has taken religious instructions from a Roman Catholic priest and plans to enter a religious order post-sentence.
Judge Nathan Adams said Bell's guilty pleas came “about as late as they could be,” after maintaining innocence until trial began. He found it “deeply disturbing” that Bell told the Probation pre-sentence report author he “didn’t consider anything he did was wrong,” adding: “It clearly shows you are a deeply disturbed individual.”
The judge imposed eight-year consecutive sentences for offences against each victim, totalling 24 years, followed by three years' licence supervision. Bell must serve at least 16 years before parole eligibility, possibly the full 24. He must sign the sex offender register for life and is subject to a 30-year restraining order barring contact with victims.