The family of a woman who was brutally killed and dismembered by a taxi driver who left her body hidden for more than a decade have said they feel “terrified for ourselves and others” after the Parole Board recommended he is moved to an open prison.
Martin Bell, 55, was given a life sentence at Leeds Crown Court in 2014 and ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years in prison for the manslaughter of Gemma Simpson, who disappeared in May 2000.
On Thursday, the Parole Board said a panel had recommended his “placement in open conditions”.
Miss Simpson’s sisters, Krista Simpson and Naomi Carrack, who believe the move from a Category C to an open prison is just a prelude to him being released in 2026, criticised the panel’s decision saying they want “justice for Gemma”.
They said: “Why is he even allowed to apply for parole when us and Gemma were kept prisoner for over 14 years?
“After his confession, he tried to keep her remains from us, making us wait four months before she came home and the truth was discovered.
“We want justice for Gemma and, at present, we feel she is not getting justice or even considered.
“His feelings and rights seem more important than Gemma’s or ours.”
Ms Simpson and Ms Carrack said: “We are terrified for ourselves and others.
“As the judge said in court he is at high-risk of re-offending.
“What reassurances can we be given that he won’t re-offend?”
The sisters said they believe the parole hearing was held “far too early” and questioned “if this is motivated by prison capacity decisions rather than actually getting justice for Gemma”.
They said: “He has been in prison for only 11 years.
“He kept our family prisoner for 14 years before his horrific and brutal murder of our beautiful Gemma was revealed.”
Ms Simpson and Ms Carrack said: “We want him to serve his full sentence in a maximum security prison.
“One year in open prison is not serving his full sentence.”
The sentencing judge in 2014 heard how Bell killed the 23-year-old with a hammer and a knife before sawing her legs off and burying her at a beauty spot near Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
Bell admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
The Parole Board said, on Thursday, that the decision was made after “considering the circumstances of his offending” and “the progress made while in custody”.
The board’s decision summary said: “The panel accepted that Mr Bell understands the nature and gravity of his offending, that he is remorseful and that he has undertaken substantive, behaviour interventions during his sentence.
“There was no evidence to suggest that Mr Bell might abscond if he were to be placed in an open prison.”
It said the application to move to open conditions was considered at a hearing on June 12, which heard from the official supervising Mr Bell’s case in prison, a psychologist employed by the prison service, a psychiatrist, a keyworker from the prison and Bell himself.
The decision summary said: “The panel had the benefit of a victim personal statement which clearly conveyed the impact of Mr Bell’s crime and the consequences of his offending.
“The contents were given careful consideration by the panel.”
It added: “Mr Bell told the panel that he had read the victim statement and realised the terrible effects of his offending upon the family of the victim.”
The Parole Board said in the summary that no significant concerns had been raised about Bell’s behaviour and outlined the steps he had taken to address his problems within the prison.
It said: “The panel heard that he had made good progress, completing all the requirements of the prison.”
And it added: “Mr Bell told the panel that the work in custody had helped him to better understand himself.
“He said that he now knew how to deal with issues in his life and that he would never offend again.”
Bell becomes eligible to be considered for release on July 12 2026.
The Parole Board said it was now for Secretary of State for Justice Shabana Mahmood to decide whether to accept the recommendation.
Ms Simpson and Ms Carrack said on Thursday: “Gemma was a free spirit, witty, funny, loving and very family-oriented.
“She loved spending time with her niece, nephew and younger brother.
“She was a character with a heart of gold.”
