Warning: this article contains details some readers may find very distressing.

A Harrogate killer will not be released from prison, it has been decided.

Martin Bell, who fatally attacked Gemma Simpson at his Harrogate flat in May 2000, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 12 years in December 2014.

His case was referred to the Parole Board, which carries out risk assessments on prisoners, to decide if he could be released on parole.

The results of the hearing on September 14 were made public yesterday (October 5).

The Parole Board said in a statement that after considering the circumstances of Bell's offending, his progress made in custody and the evidence presented at the hearing, a panel was not satisfied that release at this point would be safe for the protection of the public.

Bell brutally attacked Ms Simpson, with whom he had been obsessed for years, on May 5, 2000. He hit her with a hammer, stabbed her repeatedly then drowned her in a bath.

After burying Ms Simpson’s dismembered remains at Brimham Rocks in Nidderdale, Bell returned to the site on numerous occasions in the years following to check they had not been disturbed.

The case went unsolved for 14 years, until Bell walked into Scarborough Police Station and confessed.

He was jailed for manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility, as he had been suffering from a mental illness.

He had spent around nine months in hospital under the Mental Health Act, and had been discharged about six weeks before the killing.

Open prison

Bell first became eligible to be considered for release on July 12, 2026.

At his first review, in June 2025, the Secretary of State rejected a recommendation to move him to an open prison, also known as a Category D prison.

However, he won an appeal and was transferred to an open prison in January 2026. 

In May 2026, he commenced periods of temporary day release.

During the hearing, reports identified a need for a longer period of successful progression through temporary release in the community. The panel noted that Bell’s progression had been cautious and incremental, reflecting the need to monitor his adjustment to increased independence after a lengthy period in custody.

Prior to his second hearing last month, Bell’s legal representative asked the review be deferred to allow Bell time to complete periods of temporary overnight release from the open prison where he is being held. This was denied.

The professionals involved in the case indicated they would expect a year of testing to take place prior to considering recommending Bell’s release on life licence.

The prospect of Bell walking the streets again terrifies Ms Simpson’s family; they feel Bell is a threat not only to their family, but to women in general.

The Stray Ferret has contacted Ms Simpson’s family for comment.