A disgraced former MP will serve at least two-and-a-half years in jail for stealing $435,000 of public money that was meant to be spent on disadvantaged school students.

In September 2024, a South Australian District Court jury found Troy Bell guilty of 20 counts of theft and five aggravated counts of dishonest dealings for crimes committed between 2009 and 2013.

On Tuesday, Judge Rauf Soulio noted the 52-year-old had “lost much” as a result of his marathon legal fight against the charges, including his seat in parliament and all his assets.

The ex-Liberal MP, who successfully ran as an independent after he was charged, stood emotionless in the dock as the judge imposed a five-year jail term with a two-and-a-half-year non-parole period.

Bell earlier said he was “very nervous” as he wal

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