 In February 1997, aged 19, Bell was turned down for a job at a service station in Mangere because he smoked cannabis.He returned to the station late at night and severely attacked an attendant from behind with a stolen police baton and stole the cash register drawer.Bell was sentenced to five years and nine months in prison for aggravated robbery, the judge saying the robbery was almost incidental to the attack, which could have resulted in the attendant's death.