PHILIPSBURG--Aartwichgt Anthony Bell was sentenced to 10 years’ unconditional imprisonment and ordered to pay 50,000 Caribbean Guilders in compensation to the victim when the court delivered its verdict on Thursday, October 22.
The verdict was communicated to Bell by mobile telephone after the court was unable to establish a video connection with the prison in Bonaire, where he is being held. Bell’s attorney, Cor Merx, was not present at the time, as he was occupied in another trial. Attorney Sjamira Roseburg, who represents the victim, attended the hearing.
Bell faced three charges relating to the sexual abuse of his stepdaughter during different periods of her childhood and adolescence and was found guilty on all three charges. The allegations covered the periods when she was under 12, between 12 and 16 and over 16 years old. The judges described the offences as serious violations of the victim's physical and sexual integrity, with the potential to cause lasting harm to her psychological well-being and sexual development.
The court also found that Bell had shown little remorse, especially when the victim announced that she had gotten pregnant at an early age. During the earlier hearing, Bell denied most of the allegations but acknowledged that a sexual act had taken place when the victim was 17. He disputed that the act constituted abuse and rejected the allegations that abuse had occurred during the earlier periods.
The Public Prosecutor had requested a 12-year prison sentence and Cg. 50,000 in damages, arguing that evidence supported the allegations across all three charges. The prosecution also pointed to statements made by Bell during a recorded telephone conversation with the victim, which the prosecutor said amounted to an admission.
The victim told the court during the hearing that the abuse had begun when she was nine years old and continued until she was 17. She described feeling groomed and taken advantage of by someone she believed was supposed to protect her.
Roseburg requested Cg. 50,000 in compensation, arguing that the award could help the victim obtain treatment and psychological support, although it could not undo the harm she had suffered.
Merx disputed the prosecution’s interpretation of the evidence and questioned the timeline of the allegations. He argued that the telephone recording did not establish that the alleged incidents had occurred during the earlier years and maintained that Bell’s account of when the acknowledged sexual act took place was consistent with the timeline of the separation from the victim’s mother.
The court had also discussed psychological and parole assessments during the hearing. According to the court, the assessments found that Bell was of sound mind, had no personality disorders and presented a very low risk of reoffending, while recommending treatment.
The court’s sentence of 10 years was two years shorter than the 12 years requested by the Public Prosecutor. The court also awarded the Cg. 50,000 in compensation sought on the victim’s behalf.
