Woman fears 'monster' who hid sister's body for 14 years will strike again if released

A 'monster' who stabbed a woman to death and dismembered her body before hiding it for 14 years will 'kill again' if released from jail, the victim's sister has warned.

Martin Bell, 57, will learn this week if he can leave jail after spending 12 years behind bars for the brutal killing of 23-year-old Gemma Simpson.

However Gemma's sister Naomi Carrick has warned against his release, saying she believe he will kill again if freed from open prison.

Naomi, who lives in Otley, said: "I honestly believe it could happen again. It terrifies me to think of how many people we've got walking around in society like that - just so they can free up spaces in prison.

"He is capable of stabbing, hammering and dismembering someone - and then moving on with his life for 14 years."

Bell attacked Gemma at his flat in Harrogate, in May 2000 after being released from a psychiatric hospital.

He struck her with a hammer before stabbing her in the back and the back of the head.

After realising Gemma was still alive, Bell dragged her into the bathroom and left her lying face-down in the bath for several days.

He later dismembered her body and buried her remains at Brimham Rocks, a popular National Trust beauty spot near Pateley Bridge.

Bell remained silent while Gemma, from Leeds, was treated as a missing person for the next 14 years.

He moved to Scarborough and worked as a taxi driver, allowing him to lead what Naomi described as a completely ordinary life.

Naomi said: "In all honesty, we feel like we've been failed from the very beginning. From the moment he was charged with manslaughter rather than murder, we knew he was never going to do any significant time.

"He has literally done the bare minimum. It offers no justice to Gemma or our family. He gets to move on with his life - and Gemma is still dead."

In July 2014, Bell walked into a police station in Scarborough, confessed to killing Gemma and told officers where he had buried her.

A psychiatric assessment following his arrest diagnosed him with a psychotic mental illness.

Leeds Crown Court heard Bell had told Gemma that God wanted him to kill her.

He admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2014.

Bell was given a minimum term of 12 years, reduced to 11 years and 205 days to account for time he had already spent in custody.

The Parole Board recommended in 2025 that Bell be moved from a closed jail into open conditions ahead of his eligibility for release.

Naomi wrote what she described as a "pleading letter" to Shabana Mahmood, who was then Justice Secretary, urging her to prevent the transfer.

She said the move was initially rejected before Bell challenged the decision successfully.

Naomi added: "I don't think someone capable of such a heinous, horrific crime should be in open conditions - it just sounds ludicrous to me."

She said she and her family have been left in the dark about Bell's current mental state, what progress he is said to have made and what has led to him being considered safe for release.

She was informed that his release hearing would take place on September 14, but was given no further information and expects to have to wait for the decision.

Naomi said she was warned Bell could be allowed out on day release after entering open conditions.

She fears encountering him because she lives in Otley, around 10 miles from Harrogate, where Bell carried out the killing.

Naomi, who runs a cleaning business, said: "We had no choice but to accept the injustice of the system. He has used the system - and he has done really well. Everything has gone his way."

Naomi was 26 when Gemma disappeared. She said her sister's remains were concealed for longer than Bell has so far spent behind bars.

She said: "He managed to have a life after what he did. As a taxi driver, he would have been working with lone females in the car. It angers me so much."

Gemma would have celebrated her 50th birthday this year.

Naomi said: "She was a really beautiful girl. She was so loving and kind. Gemma was always the cheeky one with the big personality and big brown eyes. She was very loved.

"I can't even imagine that she'd have been 50 this year. Gemma never had the opportunity to fall in love. She had never even been abroad.

"It just seems unreal to think what could have been."

The Parole Board said its decisions focus on whether a prisoner would pose a risk to the public if released and whether that risk could be managed in the community.

Its panel considers evidence including the original offence, the prisoner's conduct and reports from probation officers, prison staff, psychiatrists and psychologists, as well as victim personal statements.