Jury deliberations begin in trial of alleged thieving Mt Gambier MP Troy Stephen Bell

After nearly four months, a District Court jury has retired to consider the fate of a Mt Gambier MP accused of stealing over $400,000 from multiple not-for-profit education groups.

The agonising three-month trial of a Mt Gambier MP accused of stealing over $400,000 from multiple not-for-profit education groups is nearing an end, as a jury has retired to consider the fate of Troy Stephen Bell.

After two excess members were removed by ballot, the 12-person jury were released to begin deliberations about 3.55pm on Tuesday.

Mr Bell, 50, is currently standing trial in the District Court in front of Judge Rauf Soulio charged with 20 counts of theft and six counts of dishonest dealings with documents. It’s alleged he took funds from the not-for-profit Independent Learning Centre (ILC) and used the money on home renovations, flights to Los Angeles and to offset his mortgage.

Last week, Nicholas Healy, for Mr Bell, told the jury the prosecution’s case had “more holes than a balfours crumpet”.

Troy Bell is seen leaving Adelaide District Court with his lawyer Nicholas Healy (right). Picture: NewsWire / Roy VanDerVegt

“The entire prosecution case is misguided, it’s misleading, it’s confused and confusing, and it is internally inconsistent,” Mr Healy said.

“Your job is not to speculate, your job is not to fill in the gaps. Your job is not to complete a jigsaw puzzle.

“This case concept of the prosecution lacks cogency, yet the prosecution ignore that and simply concentrates on matters that take their case nowhere.

“This is not a trial by vibe – we are not characters in the iconic Australian film The Castle.”

In her closing address earlier this month, prosecutor Jemma Litster said Mr Bell took more than $436,000 from not-for-profit education groups – motivated by greed and “an ongoing capacity to benefit financially”.

“Over $400,000 more went out than came back,” Ms Litster said. “Members of the jury, that was a conservative calculation, I suggest, in Mr Bell’s favour.

“There’s no doubt Mr Bell was a man who was well liked by most people. It’s the prosecution case that he abused that trust and good will – that’s one of the reasons his fraud went unnoticed for so long.

“The evidence suggests that even his wife wasn’t fully aware of his offending. He was placating his wife – he wasn’t speaking openly to her.”

MORE TO COME.

Originally published as Jury deliberations begin in trial of alleged thieving Mt Gambier MP Troy Stephen Bell