Sex offenders victims need long-term support

The work of the Island's Public Protection Unit is in the spotlight after a 24-year-old Laxey man was jailed for seven years this week for sex offences against young girls.

Lewis Myles Bell from Ballacollister Road was convicted by a jury of indecent assault, four counts of gross indecency and possessing indecent images of a child, at the end of a nine-day trial.

The offences came to light in 2009 and involved two girls aged 12 and 14.

One of the investigating officers, Acting Detective Sergeant Andrew Pailor, says Bell's victims and their families will need support for a long time, to help them come to terms with their ordeal.

He is welcoming the seven-year jail term and the placing of Bell on the Sex Offenders Register for an indefinite period: