00:00From serving the people of Mount Gambier to serving time behind bars, former Mount Gambier
00:08MP Troy Bell has been jailed for five years. Last year a jury found the 52-year-old guilty
00:15of 20 counts of theft from not-for-profit organisations he ran while he worked for
00:21the education department. He was also found guilty of five counts of dishonest dealings
00:26with documents. Bell later lodged an appeal but it was dismissed by the state's highest
00:32court. The trial heard he stole $436,000 from the not-for-profit organisations over four years
00:40between 2009 and 2013. In sentencing, the district court judge labelled Bell's offending as serious
00:49and significant and said it happened due to his authority and trust.
00:54Bell is facing unrelated charges of deception in the Adelaide Magistrates Court which he strongly
01:00contests. Bell told reporters he was very nervous as he walked into the court building but remained
01:07calm throughout the hearing and after as he was led into the cells. In Mount Gambier,
01:12the former MP's constituents shared their feelings about his sentence.
01:17If you do the crime, you've got to do the time. He's done the wrong thing so, yep.
01:22I think he was great for the town so I was hoping he wouldn't get anything but understand that,
01:29yeah, he did need to get sentenced. Prompting the question of who's next for the seat of Mount
01:34Gambier. It's only five months today until we have another state election and opportunity for the
01:39people of Mount Gambier to choose a new member of parliament to represent them on North Terrace.
01:42I think it's absolutely atrocious that the Speaker of the House, who's been backed by the Labor
01:47Party here, has not called for a by-election. Bell won't be eligible for parole until April
01:532028 and will next appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court in December.
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