Arrest brings back memories
A sex attack victim is ‘‘devastated’’ to discover the deported offender has been arrested over a historic rape.
Michael Bell, 39, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison after being found guilty of two counts of unlawful sexual connection arising from a 2011 incident in Dunedin.
His victim, on hearing Bell had been charged in the United Kingdom with a rape dating back over a decade ago, said it ‘‘brought back a lot of emotions from my own situation’’.
‘‘I am devastated that there are other women out there who have been traumatised by this man.’’
Bell was released from prison and sent back to England on July 29, as his criminal offending meant he was liable for deportation, an Immigration New Zealand spokesman confirmed.
Bell, who was accompanied by New Zealand police officers, was arrested by police when his plane arrived in London.
His Dunedin-based victim said by coming forward to police she helped get a conviction against Bell and ‘‘I have opened the doors for further investigations to continue against him’’.
In June she went public with her fight against Government agencies, including the New Zealand Parole Board, Immigration New Zealand and the Department of Corrections, who failed to respond to information requests about her attacker’s possible deportation.
Since that article she had been kept informed about his deportation via the Parole Board and Victim Support.
‘‘I was however shocked to hear that an arrest had been made as soon as he arrived in the UK.’’
She wanted to see better communications across Government agencies, including providing information to victims about offenders in New Zealand, and from the country where they were deported.
‘‘I am relieved that he is never able to come back into New Zealand.
‘‘It is comforting knowing that there is one place in the world where I will not run into him ever again. It allows me to move on with my life safely and without fear,’’ the woman said.
However, she noted it wasn’t compulsory for Bell to complete any rehabilitation courses while serving time in New Zealand.