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Crime victim DJ Bell said he feels like he has been assaulted all over again — this time by a state agency.

About three months ago, Bell and his partner, Dan Fair, applied separately for assistance from the Utah Office of Crime Victims Reparations (CVR) to pay for medical expenses from injuries they suffered during a 2008 attack by neighbors who suspected the pair of kidnapping two children.

Fair's request was approved but Bell's wasn't, even though he was acquitted of kidnapping charges, and seven of his attackers were later charged with various crimes.

In denying Bell's request, the CVR told him he had contributed to his injuries through his own actions.

A side note in the CVR's letter to Bell added: "You were charged with kidnapping children which appears to be the reason for the assault."

Bell told The Tribune on Friday, "I was angry and extremely sad. I can't believe they would go, after my acquittal and this hell that I've been through, and call me a kidnapper again. It's insulting and it's proved to be not true."

Bell was acquitted by a jury two years ago of kidnapping the two children in the early hours of July 4, 2008.

Bell and his partner were attacked by their next-door neighbors and others with whom Bell had been partying after the mother of one of the children found them in Bell's home. The two men were severely beaten with fists, feet and a variety of household objects.

Bell was dragged from his home by his then-shoulder-length hair and his head was repeatedly smashed against the pavement. He lost hearing in one ear and suffered a traumatic brain injury.

Fair suffered severe cuts, a fractured eye socket, a fractured hand, a broken nose and a concussion.

Sentencing for four of their attackers is scheduled for May 23. Bell said Salt Lake County prosecutors — who once considered him a perpetrator — have asked him to speak at the sentencing hearing as a victim.

Bell said if the CVR case officer processing his request had looked at his acquittal and investigated further, his request for aid would have been approved. He said he plans to appeal, as long as it won't end up costing more money or stress.

The CVR, which gives financial assistance to victims of violent crimes and their family members, doesn't charge for an appeal, said Melvin Wilson, the agency's director. Wilson wouldn't comment specifically on Bell's request, but explained that the process is set up to follow state statutes, be fair and not play favorites.

He said it is important for people to understand that the office has only five reparation officers, who screen and monitor about 7,000 applications per year. He said the office relies on initial police reports and any other documents that victims submit with their applications.

"Because of the number of cases that we have to go through, you can't send an investigator out and conduct a new investigation on the whole thing," Wilson said.

Defense attorney Roger Kraft, who represented Bell at trial, said there is a problem with the CVR's system if the only thing the agency uses to make decisions is police reports, which he called "notoriously inaccurate." Kraft added that it was inconsistent to approve one request and not the other, when both Bell and Fair were equally beaten.

The CVR request process begins with a case officer determining whether a crime occurred and if the person is a victim. Next, Wilson said, all five case officers determine whether the person contributed to the crime or had any misconduct.

"Those are the type of things that become awfully hard at times to discern from police reports, and that's why we set up the appeal process," Wilson said.

He said the appeal process is designed to allow applicants to provide follow-up information showing there was no misconduct on their part.

Unfortunately, Wilson added, that step puts the burden back on the applicant to provide the additional information. He said a victim advocate is assigned to explain the appeal process to the applicant.