A Sedgefield man who raped three women has been locked up for 24 years. Christopher Bell subjected the women to a catalogue of abuse, which included rapes, sexual assaults, and strangling them until they struggled to breathe.

A police investigation was launched and Bell was charged with several offences. The 33-year-old admitted a string of offences on the second day of his trial last month after two of them women had given evidence against him.

He appeared at Durham Crown Court on Friday, September 26, where he was sentenced for six counts of rape, one of strangulation, and one of assault by penetration.

Other charges he was facing were left on file after the prosecution accepted his guilty pleas to the eight counts he admitted. All three of the survivors were in court for the sentenci

See Full Page