A shop owner from Hardwick has been jailed for two years after sexually assaulting a female volunteer and a customer at his premises.
Michael Bell, 68, carried out repeated assaults against a volunteer working in his South Cambridgeshire shop between March and July 2021. Over several months, he made persistent sexual remarks and touched her inappropriately over her clothing.
The incidents only came to light in August the following year when Bell assaulted a customer inside the store. She reported the incident to police, prompting a wider investigation that uncovered the earlier offences against the volunteer.
Bell, of High Street, Yelling, near St Neots, denied all wrongdoing but was found guilty last month at Peterborough Crown Court of seven counts of sexual assault.
He was sentenced at the same court on Friday (14 November) to two years in prison for each offence, to be served concurrently. He was also given an indefinite restraining order and must register as a sex offender for the next ten years.
DC Andy Watters said:
“This type of behaviour should never be tolerated. Women should be able to go to work and go into shops without fear of sexual predators. I hope the sentence will reassure both the victims, and women everywhere, that this type of behaviour will never be accepted by police, and should always be challenged and reported.”
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