A Salisbury man has been jailed after pleading guilty to abusing young boys.
Michael Colin Bell, known as Colin, was sentenced at Salisbury Crown Court on 8 June. The 72-year-old previously pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of gross indecency.
The offences, which were committed against young boys, date back as far as 1994. The first report was made to Wiltshire Police back in 2022.
During the sentencing hearing, powerful victim impact statements were read aloud in court.
One victim described the lasting trauma: “Trying to explain how this has affected me is the hardest thing I’ve ever done because there is no way to explain what this has done to me, all I can do is try and describe what is my life now.
“There is not a day I don’t think about what happened to me. If I am not busy, I have flashbacks and I am back to being abused, like it is still happening to me.
“I still feel like he owns me and I am his trophy. I wake up at night sometimes and see the darkness in the corner of the room. I can’t move and am frozen. I want to move, but can’t.
“I hate the feeling of people touching me and this has massively affected my relationships. I have to sleep with a pillow between my legs as the feeling of my legs touching makes me feel sick.
“I hate the feeling of my own skin.”
A second victim said: “The abuse happened over a number of years.
“The person who did this to me was a trusted family friend – someone I was told I could count on, someone who was meant to protect me. Instead, he betrayed that trust in the most painful way.
“I spent years questioning myself. I asked if what happened was normal. I wondered if I had done something to deserve it. That kind of self-doubt and shame doesn’t disappear just because time passes – it settles in your bones.
“As a child, I didn’t have the words to make sense of what was happening. That confusion – that feeling of being lost inside your own life – stayed with me for years.”
Another victim said: “As a direct result of what I experienced, I have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and severe anxiety. I now suffer from frequent panic attacks, which have affected both my personal life and my ability to work.
“There are times when I cannot relax, even in the safety of my own home. Memories intrude unexpectedly – triggered by sounds, smells, or even certain words.
“These flashbacks make it incredibly difficult to find peace, and I live in fear of when the next one will strike.”
The case was first reported to police in 2022. Investigating officer Sergeant Myles Scott, who worked on the case for four years, said: “I am really glad that Colin Bell has finally been held to account for the abhorrent actions he chose to commit against children. This case shows that if you commit offences, they will eventually catch up with you – no matter your age or how long ago they occurred.
Bell, of Pinewood Way, Bemerton Heath, six years and four months in prison. He must register as a sex offender for life.
Investigating officer Sergeant Myles Scott, who worked on the case for four years, said: “I am really glad that Colin Bell has finally been held to account for the abhorrent actions he chose to commit against children.
“This case shows that if you commit offences, they will eventually catch up with you – no matter your age or how long ago they occurred.
“I want to thank the victims for their strength and courage throughout this investigation. Their support was vital, and I hope this sentence helps them begin to rebuild their lives.
“I also hope this outcome reassures other victims that they will be believed, and that justice can be pursued regardless of how much time has passed.”
