Charges

The Crime

The bodies of one hundred and twenty seven teenagers were found in a newly refurbished community centre, due to poisoning with high levels of carbon monoxide.

The teenagers were attending a party to celebrate the reopening of the community centre after many years of neglect and lack of funding. 

The police were alerted around one am by a late party goer who found all the doors padlocked from the outside whilst the music was still blaring from inside the venue.

When police arrived on the scene they had to force entry into the building. Every single exit and window had been padlocked from the outside.

One local described the tragedy as "This evil has wiped out a generation. The whole community has lost someone here tonight".

Several witnesses saw Mr Marcus Bell and his associates leaving the community centre at around midnight.

The defendant, Mr Marcus Bell is accused of unlawful imprisonment and mass murder through poisoning.

Anastasia Larkspur - Defence Solicitor

Mr Bell, is an upstanding member of the community. A renowned and well respected businessman with years of documented charity donations.

The very idea that Mr Bell is before the court, is a travesty.  His very own daughter, his only child was unfortunately in attendance at the Core Community centre that night and has along with the other one hundred and twenty six young people, mostly teenagers, died. Mr Bell is a grieving man, not a criminal.

Mr Bell has an impeccable reputation which we fully intend to protect and prove without a shadow of a doubt. 

These accusations and charges are preposterous and Mr Bell is an innocent.

Mrs Sandra Bell - Wife of the defendant, Mr Marcus Bell

He was with me. The night our daughter went out with her friends and did not return, my husband was with me.

He was with me the whole day and night. My husband and I have never ever spent a night apart. He’s a fantastic and attentive father. Even when he’s under a lot of pressure at work, he still always returns to me and our daughter at night. 

We ate together every single evening. Without fail. Our daughter Desrae, was the apple of his eye.  Our baby is gone and he’s being accused of her murder? I feel like I’m in a nightmare.

I know that there are rumours about my husband’s wealth but isn’t that always the way? 

Men who are self made are always at risk of spiteful and jealous rumours about how they came about their wealth. 

I’ve heard it all, the horrendous and quite frankly brutal lies about my husband but I made sure that my daughter knew the truth. 

My husband had no reason to want to murder hundreds of young people. Especially not his own daughter! No reason what so ever, the accusations make no sense at all. 

And we are grieving. 

How can anyone suggest that he would do this? It's ridiculous.

My husband is a good man. A pure and simple hard working man.  A good husband and an amazing father.  He shouldn't be here. We shouldn't be here.

Mr Johson Cob - Mr Bell's business partner

I’ve known Sandra and Marcus since we were all teenagers ourselves. We grew up on the same grim estate. There wasn’t much of an outlook for us back then.  Low employment, high crime much as it is today.

Marcus has always been a leader, someone who just had the desire to do better, for himself, his family, for the community. 

I owe my success to him. He’s bought a lot of people up with him. He doesn’t just think about himself and his own success he looks around and tries to pull others up. 

That’s not what a mass murderer does.

None of us are perfect, we’re all sinners in the eyes of God but if there were ever any genuinely good men walking this earth, then Marcus Bell is one of them. 

Marcus looks after the greater good, he looks at the bigger picture and he does what’s needed to be done to ensure all of our successes. 

The loss of his daughter is an absolute tragedy.  So this makes no sense at all.

Marcus Bell is a good man.

Mr Lucien Crowe MP - Former Labour MP

I first met Mr Bell, Marcus whilst at college. I was studying economics and history and Marcus was, well lets just say he came to the parties. 

You see Marcus Bell did not have the support or guidance of a loving family. He could not afford such luxury as going to college. Marcus Bell had to put the food on his own table as a child and as a young man.

Marcus will himself tell you that his youth was disturbed and difficult and it is a true story of determination and grit, that bought him out of the darkness of these streets into the light. Where, he has overcome his misfortunes, has taken responsibility and bought prosperity and shined a beacon of light towards a better future for everyone in this borough.

Learning of Mr and Mrs Bell’s terrible loss has left me stunned and heartbroken because this tragedy shouldn’t befall anyone, let alone a man that does so much to help others. His track record is impeccable and equally, when I learnt of these accusations I felt that Mr Bell and his wife are unfortunate in thees times, not just one tumble but two consecutive falls? 

I, like everyone in this borough know that Mr Bell will again get back up on his feet and continue to blaze a positive trail for the disadvantaged youth, for the unskilled and unemployed and for the vulnerable and elderly in this community as he has always done. 

He is the backbone, the strength we all need to pull us up. I will try my best to be his strength in his hour of need and pray that you the jury, recognise injustice as it is being shown so blatantly today by dragging an innocent man into court under these despicable charges.

And I stand here as a witness to Mr Bell’s character. He is honourable. He is fair. And he is innocent.

Mr Jeremiah Hart - Prosecution Solicitor

I apologise now, because I have a lot to say. I usually like to keep things brief but standing here right now, listening to the defence and defence witnesses, you would perhaps believe that the police woke up one morning and decided to launch a vendetta against Mr Bell for the sheer pleasure of it.

Yes, Mr Bell has over many years injected much needed money into the community and supported charities and organisations. 

You may even recall that he saved the local library and some years following supported this exact community centre, both of which would now be closed had it not been for Mr Bell’s intervention. Splendid job.

You may also be aware of Mr Bell’s reach into politics and economics. He regularly appears in the newspapers and has a whole team working on his social media with word of his continuing business interests in the area and all his do-gooding.

You’ve heard from his wife, his best friend, partner in his business endeavours and of course an MP,  that Mr Bell is a good man.

The one and the same man who ordered and in fact orchestrated and personally carried out this cruel and heinous atrocity in this very same community. 

Mr Bell doesn’t like to be opposed by anyone as you will hear shortly from witnesses. The young man who had purchased the community centre where the celebratory party was being held for every drug dealing criminal in the vicinity was in fact an arch enemy of Mr Bell’s.

You will hear that Mr Bell despised this upcoming hot shot from the criminal underworld and had threatened him and his associates both publicly and up close in person on more than one occasion.

On the night in question Mr Bell was not at home quietly tucked up with his wife and daughter, he was seen in his very distinctive Porsche Cayenne parked up on the grounds of the community centre along with four other Range Rover Velar’s and I specify the car types not because this carries any weight on the importance of Mr Bell or that I am in anyway impressed by expensive vehicles, no. I specify because Mr Bell and his associates are known to travel in convoy, showboating in this procession in the community. 

These are very distinctive cars if seen one at a time but in convoy of course anyone who lives in this community is aware of who is in charge and who these cars belong to.

Mr Bell is not an innocent business man or a bystander to this crime, he is the criminal, he is the instigator, he is the perpetrator.

He is the man on trial because this was his plot to take down his enemies and competition in the evil business of drug dealing in this community. 

Make no mistake and I believe you may well know, Mr Bell is no gentleman, he is a scourge on this city, a cancer that has taken many of the young people into its grasp and continues to destroy this community. 

His obsession to take full control, to uphold his grip as the top dog has backfired catastrophically as destroying his enemies, has caused the death of his very own daughter in one fell swoop.

Felicia Sands - Party Goer

I decided to go last minute. I’d been down in London visiting my auntie and wasn’t going to come back for another six weeks but me and my boyfriend Philipe had this big bust up and he told me that if I stayed away any longer he was going to end it with me. 

So I came home.

Philipe met me at the train station. I went home, got changed and we headed to the party. It was about midnight when we left my house. 

We knew the party was going to be epic, you know big celebrations that O-man had bought the Core, the community centre. He'd fixed it all up, it was like nothing we'd ever seen.

He'd taken it away from those who were trying to oppress and push us down and given it to us. You know like our place, a place just for us. A gift to us. The youths, as O-man called us.

Philipe’s car needed a new exhaust so we got an uber. We asked the driver to stop on the main road because I wanted to get some gum at the corner shop. 

The Core has this long driveway, so from the road you can’t really see much, just trees but as we got a little way down the driveway, we saw them. 

The entourage, they travel around like that in line. They do it to intimidate. Suppose it works because me and Philipe hid in the bushes. 

We knew something must be wrong because why would they be coming to our celebration? 

He’s an old man, and he threatened O-man over and over to get off his patch. Everyone knew about it. You know, don’t do no business in this area. But O-man told us all, made it clear that that man’s days were numbered. 

He was the past and we were the future. O-man wasn’t scared of him or his men. 

When we got down to the centre, the music was blaring but it felt like it was empty. No one outside smoking or hanging around. No door men. The main doors were locked and padlocked from the outside.

We couldn’t get in, we were banging and calling for someone, anyone. 

I kind of knew, I just had this sinking feeling, not a word from anybody inside. I called several of my friends who’d been messaging me all night, checking I was still coming but there was no answer.  So we called the police.

The police wouldn’t let us go in but we could see. Just bodies. Bodies, on top of bodies, on top of bodies and no one was moving. 

That’s what I came home to.

No I didn’t see, witness that man doing anything, not actually doing anything, but of course it was him, that's obvious?

Leanne May - Lychee Bridge Chinese takeaway manager

I work across the street from the Core community centre in the Lychee Tree. I’ve worked there nearly eight years now. 

I know the community centre was originally owned by the council but they closed it down due to cuts some years ago. I remember because the community really wanted to keep it open. There were protests. I was part of the protests. I used to go there as a kid. It’s a great place, when the the right people are running it.

I know Mr Bell saved the club but I never ever saw him actually go there. Not even when he saved it. Well not that I saw anyway. Not until that night. The night of the big party.

From seven o’clock the new owners were coming and going, bringing decorations, balloons and things like that. 

They booked us to supply part of the buffet. I took the trays across the street at about eight in the evening. Those young people were really excited. So pleased that they were taking over from Mr Bell and doing a really good job. Place looked amazing.

I don’t ask any questions but everybody had heard the rumours. O-man didn’t like that Mr Bell was using the club to show what an upstanding man he is in the community but not really making repairs or maintaining the property. 

The toilets were broken, there were leaks in the roof, no proper staff, just volunteers, things like that.

As soon as O-man took over he did the work. Sorted everything. New staff, with nice uniform, they had proper real paying jobs. It was amazing.

That night I kept an eye out, I wanted them to have a good time. But one time,  I looked out the window and I saw them. Mr Bell and his followers in their big expensive cars driving slowly down the drive way. I really thought that he was going to show support or something like that. I know that sounds so stupid now.

I am so sorry for all the families, so many families. I’m sorry for all of them. Nothing is worth it. Nothing is worth all this destruction and unhappiness and lost lives. I really can’t believe it.

Peter Wychall - DIY store owner - Wychall’s DIY

I own three DIY stores, one in The Meadows, another in King Church and another in Lapsley.

We order our carbon monoxide tanks in from our main supplier usually, monthly. 

Mr Bell’s order was very unusual. He asked for a specific type of canister and in an industrial amount. The order stood and one of my employees spotted the order that came in via the website and came to me to check it with me. We thought there'd been some mistake. 

I called Mr Bell to check and confirm the amount and he confirmed. He seemed pretty relaxed, I tried to enquire about the reason for the purchase but he was quite abrupt.  We do like to take more details with purchases such as these.

I am fully aware of who he is and that coming here today as a witness might put me and my business at jeopardy. I'll be honest, I didn't want to come, I didn't want to get involved. 

I recognised his name and didn’t want to appear rude by checking if he knew what he was doing. 

I cannot express my regret enough. If I had restricted the order or perhaps delayed and asked for more information. I don’t know, perhaps things would be different.

I've got two lads. Two good lads. Grown men now. Mr Bell and his men tried to entice my sons into his business and I had to fight hard to keep them on the straight and narrow and I thank god that my efforts paid off. Some were not so lucky.

Anastasia Larkspur - Defence Solicitor

Not one eye witness has come forward. 

Those cars as you will have heard about that were seen leaving the Core community centre that night, all have blacked out windows. 

Nobody has come forward to say that they saw who was driving. No one has come forward to say who were the passengers. 

All the witnesses have stated is that they saw expensive luxury cars at the Core community club. 

I know that as highly intelligent people that you will all recognise that this is not substantial evidence.

Mrs Bell has clearly stated that she and Mr Bell spent the evening in together. Devastatingly and unbeknown to them their daughter was in attendance at this party. 

Mr Bell is a family man, he is not as you can all see, a killer. 

Therefore I implore you, find Mr Bell not guilty and allow him along with the other families the time to grieve.

Anastasia Larkspur - Defence Solicitor

Mr Bell is renowned and feared. 

You’ve heard that Ms Sands and her boyfriend, hid.  They stood back from the road when they saw Mr Bell and his entourage driving away from the Core community centre.

Mr Wychall knew that the purchase that Mr Bell made was extremely unusual and he wanted to ask Mr Bell for more details but he recognised his name and didn’t want to appear rude. 

Mr Bell was abrupt with Mr Wychall and Mr Wychall was fearful. He knew along with everyone else in this community that Mr Bell is not the sort of man you can question. 

Mr Bell is not the upstanding gentleman helping the community. He is not generous and kind. He is not the type of man that you stand up to.

But Orville Richards did. Orville Richards better known as O-man, although a young man of dubious means, stood up to Mr Bell with disastrous consequences. 

Mr Bell is the worst kind of criminal. He wants to commit crime, he wants to flaunt his wealth but he does not want to take responsibility for the fallout from his crimes.

Mr Bell is the problem in this community and you have the opportunity to do the right thing here today.

Find Mr Bell guilty.