COLIN BELL GALASHIELS VIOLENT DOORMAN SENTENCED FOR DECADES OF ABUSE

A man from Galashiels, identified as Colin Bell, has been sentenced to more than four years in prison after a lengthy history of violent and abusive behavior towards six women over nearly thirty years. The disturbing case was heard at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, revealing a pattern of brutality and coercive control exercised by Bell during his relationships with these women, which spanned from November 1996 to February of the previous year.

Bell’s victims endured a series of severe assaults and psychological torment at various addresses within the Borders town. The court detailed some of the most heinous acts committed by Bell, including an incident where he forcefully struck one woman’s head against the side of a freezer, causing the appliance to dent. This act of violence was part of a broader campaign of intimidation and physical abuse. Bell accused this woman of having extramarital affairs and, on one occasion, forcibly pulled down her underwear to verify whether she had been unfaithful, an act that demonstrated his controlling and invasive behavior.

Further evidence presented in court described how Bell sought to isolate his partner from her social circle. He barricaded her inside a house to prevent her from leaving and, in a separate incident, attempted to physically interfere with her while she was driving, grabbing hold of the steering wheel while a child was present in the vehicle. These actions not only demonstrated his violent tendencies but also posed significant danger to the woman and the child involved.

Bell’s violence extended to strangulation, dragging a woman through a house, and causing her to fall down stairs, injuries that put her life at risk. Another victim, who was in the late stages of pregnancy, was assaulted by Bell when he grabbed her by the hair, struck her on the head, bit her finger, and forcibly removed her from a property. These acts of physical violence underscored the severity of his abusive conduct.

Additional accounts revealed Bell spat in one woman’s face, poured liquid over her head, and violently ejected her from a nightclub where he worked as a doorman, throwing her onto the ground outside and causing her injury. Throughout their relationship, Bell repeatedly accused her of infidelity, threatened to expose her financial details on social media, demanded money from her, and even attempted to confine her in a cellar beneath the nightclub in Galashiels where he was employed.

The court also heard disturbing details about Bell’s coercive control over another woman, including forcing her to have a contraceptive coil removed and repeatedly asking her to have a child with him. He falsely claimed that she had driven a car at him, further demonstrating his pattern of manipulation and violence. The judge’s sentencing reflects the gravity of Bell’s actions, which have caused lasting trauma to his victims and highlight the importance of holding perpetrators accountable for such prolonged abuse.