A man who stabbed a woman to death and dismembered her body before hiding it for 14 years will ‘kill again’ if released from jail, the victim’s sister has warned.

Martin Bell, 57, will learn this week if he can leave jail after spending 12 years behind bars for the brutal killing of 23-year-old Gemma Simpson.

Gemma’s sister Naomi Carrick has warned against his release, saying she believes he will kill again if freed from prison.

Naomi, who lives in Otley, West Yorkshire, said: ‘I honestly believe it could happen again. It terrifies me to think of how many people we’ve got walking around in society like that – just so they can free up spaces in prison.

‘He is capable of stabbing, hammering and dismembering someone – and then moving on with his life for 14 years.’

Bell attacked Gemma at his flat in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, in May 2000 after being released from a psychiatric hospital.

He struck her with a hammer before stabbing her in the back and the back of the head.

After realising Gemma was still alive, Bell dragged her into the bathroom and left her lying face-down in the bath for several days.

Bell remained silent while Gemma, from Leeds, West Yorkshire, was treated as a missing person for the next 14 years.

He moved to Scarborough and worked as a taxi driver, allowing him to lead what Naomi described as a completely ordinary life.

Naomi said: ‘In all honesty, we feel like we’ve been failed from the very beginning. From the moment he was charged with manslaughter rather than murder, we knew he was never going to do any significant time.

‘He has literally done the bare minimum. It offers no justice to Gemma or our family. He gets to move on with his life – and Gemma is still dead.’

In July 2014, Bell walked into a police station in Scarborough, confessed to killing Gemma and told officers where he had buried her.

A psychiatric assessment following his arrest diagnosed him with a psychotic mental illness. Leeds Crown Court heard Bell had told Gemma that God wanted him to kill her.

He admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility and was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 2014.

Bell was given a minimum term of 12 years, reduced to 11 years and 205 days to account for time he had already spent in custody.

The Parole Board recommended in 2025 that Bell be moved from a closed jail into open conditions ahead of his eligibility for release.

Naomi wrote what she described as a ‘pleading letter’ to Shabana Mahmood, who was then Justice Secretary, urging her to prevent the transfer.

‘I don’t think someone capable of such a heinous, horrific crime should be in open conditions – it just sounds ludicrous to me,’ she added.

She said she and her family have been left in the dark about Bell’s current mental state, what progress he is said to have made and what has led to him being considered safe for release.

Naomi said she was warned Bell could be allowed out on day release after entering open conditions. She fears encountering him because she lives in Otley, around 10 miles from Harrogate, where Bell carried out the killing.

Naomi was 26 when Gemma disappeared. She said her sister’s remains were concealed for longer than Bell has so far spent behind bars.

The Parole Board said its decisions focus on whether a prisoner would pose a risk to the public if released and whether that risk could be managed in the community.

Its panel considers evidence including the original offence, the prisoner’s conduct and reports from probation officers, prison staff, psychiatrists and psychologists, as well as victim personal statements.

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