The actor was sentenced to two years probation and hours of community service in his child endangerment case. A year-old girl accused Drake Bell of sexual assault in a lengthy statement read during his sentencing on Monday.
He is also prohibited from contacting the victim. The sentencing was preceded by the victim's impact statement, during which she alleged that Bell groomed her from the age of 12 before sexually assaulting her when she was Bell's attorney, Ian Friedman, said during the hearing that his client had "accepted responsibility in this case" via his plea.
However, Friedman disputed the victim's claims that she and Bell had exchanged explicit photos, claiming there was no such evidence. Bell was not charged with sexual abuse, and his lawyer denied the victim's allegation that he had engaged in such abuse. Bell issued his own brief statement via Zoom to the judge on Monday.
I have taken this matter very, very seriously. And again, I just want to apologize to her and anyone else who may have been affected by my actions. Read the victim's full statement below.
I chose to write this statement because I want justice to be served more than anything. The only time that the defendant has appeared in court in person was on June 3 for his arraignment, which was before the media found out about this case.
