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The Independent
25-06-2025
- The Independent
Double killer Hazel Stewart fails in bid to have sentence reduced
Double murderer Hazel Stewart has been refused leave to appeal against the length of her sentence for killing her policeman husband and the wife of her ex-lover. A panel of judges at the Court of Appeal in Belfast ruled that the sentence imposed on Stewart, 62, a former Sunday school teacher, was 'neither wrong nor manifestly excessive'. Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan told the court that Stewart's latest attempted appeal would have caused 'stress and upset' to the families of those she killed. Stewart's lawyer described the ruling as disappointing, but said it 'doesn't end the quest to highlight that she was a victim of coercive control'. She is serving a minimum 18 years behind bars for the killing of Constable Trevor Buchanan, 32, and 31-year-old Lesley Howell, the wife of her former lover Colin Howell. Both were found in a fume-filled garage in Castlerock, Co Londonderry, in May 1991. Police originally believed they had died in a suicide pact, after discovering that their partners were having an extra-marital affair. Instead, they had been drugged and murdered and their bodies arranged to make it look as though they had taken their own lives. Nearly two decades passed before dentist Howell, 65, confessed to both killings. He implicated Stewart and she was ordered to serve at least 18 years, at her trial in 2011. Stewart launched her appeal against the length of her sentence on the basis of fresh psychiatric evidence that suggested she was suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder at the time of the murders and had been coercively controlled by Howell. Stewart, wearing a pale blue T-shirt and a cross necklace, watched the court of appeal ruling via a videolink from Hydebank Prison. Dame Siobhan said the fresh psychiatric evidence had been presented 'well after the event' and 'places reliance on prison records to contradict the case made by all other experts'. She said: 'Even if there were any traction in the points now made, which we do not find, the trial judge also made allowance for Howell's control in the sentence he passed. 'No injustice arises in refusing to reopen this long-concluded appeal on these facts.' The Lady Chief Justice added: 'We record this was a double murder of spouses in the cruellest of circumstances. 'Our overall view is that the sentence was neither wrong nor manifestly excessive. 'We refuse leave to admit the new evidence or to extend time as we are not convinced the new evidence establishes a valid ground of appeal. 'We are similarly not convinced that a fulsome enough explanation why this evidence was not produced earlier has been provided. 'In reaching our conclusion we reiterate the need for finality in criminal proceedings, we must deduce from this appeal that the applicant does not fully appreciate that. 'What must be self-evident is the stress and upset this latest appeal attempt will have caused to the families of the deceased.' Dame Siobhan said the original trial judge had been cited on the issue of Howell's control of Stewart and he altered her sentence accordingly. She concluded: 'We find no merit in any of the points raised on appeal.' Stewart's lawyer, Kevin Winters of KRW Law, said: 'Today's decision of the Court of Appeal to refuse leave is disappointing but in many ways not unexpected given the very high bar we had to reach to convince the court to look at this relatively new issue after so many years.' He added: 'Today's ruling doesn't end the quest for Hazel Stewart to highlight that she was a victim of coercive control. 'She engaged with the criminal justice agencies in an open and transparent manner to present as a victim of criminality. 'She made her case to a specialist abuse unit of the PSNI to allege that she was drugged, sexually and mentally abused and raped by Colin Howell. 'For that she is to be commended in taking the decision to come forward. It wasn't taken lightly.' Mr Winters said: 'It shouldn't be lost on any one that Hazel Stewart has the full backing and support of her family which includes Trevor Buchanan's two children. 'That support has been with her ever since her conviction for her role in the double killing of her husband and Colin Howell's wife over 20 years ago. 'That support has been here as well throughout the criminal investigation against Colin Howell and right up until today's appeal ruling.'
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Yahoo
Lesley Howell's family say there's ‘no joy' after Hazel Stewart appeal bid fails
The family of murder victim Lesley Howell has said there is 'no joy' after double killer Hazel Stewart failed in a bid to have her prison sentence reduced. In a statement, the family said they are continuing to live with a life sentence as they deal with Stewart's 'ongoing attempt to evade justice'. Stewart, 62, was refused leave at the Court of Appeal on Wednesday to appeal against the length of her sentence for killing her policeman husband and the wife of her former lover. She is serving a minimum 18 years behind bars for the murders of Constable Trevor Buchanan, 32, and 31-year-old Lesley Howell in 1991. Ms Howell's daughter, Dr Lauren Bradford-Clarke, watched the court proceedings via videolink. A statement from the family said: 'We're relieved that this stage of the legal process has concluded, but there is no joy. No celebration. 'The Court of Appeal's decision today, upholding all previous rulings, confirms what we've known all along. 'We've always maintained our confidence in the original judgment and the overwhelming weight of expert opinion supporting our case. 'As Lady Chief Justice Dame (Siobhan) Keegan pointed out, Hazel's repeated attempts to find a different expert opinion – what she called 'expert shopping' – ultimately proved fruitless.' The statement added: 'While this decision offers some reassurance, we recognise that there's no true end or closure. 'This is a life sentence, and we must continue to live with the pain caused by Hazel's ongoing attempt to evade justice. 'Nothing will bring our mum back. We have no appeals. No paroles. No release date. 'The cycle of appeal after appeal shows Hazel's complete lack of remorse and her refusal to take responsibility for her actions. 'My beautiful mum's memory will not be shadowed by this, and we will continue to love and honour the person she was.'
Irish Times
25-06-2025
- Irish Times
Belfast court rejects double murderer Hazel Stewart's bid to have sentence reduced
Double murderer Hazel Stewart has been refused leave to appeal against the length of her sentence for killing her husband and the wife of her ex-lover in 1991. A panel of judges at the Court of Appeal in Belfast ruled that the sentence imposed on Stewart (62), a former Sunday school teacher, was 'neither wrong nor manifestly excessive'. Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan told the court that Stewart's latest attempted appeal would have caused 'stress and upset' to the families of those she killed. She is serving a minimum 18 years behind bars for the killing of police constable Trevor Buchanan (32) and Lesley Howell (31), the wife of her former lover Colin Howell. READ MORE Both were found in a fume-filled garage in Castlerock, Co Derry, in May 1991. Police originally believed they had died in a suicide pact, after discovering their partners were having an extramarital affair. Instead, they had been drugged and murdered and their bodies arranged to make it look as though they had taken their own lives. Nearly two decades passed before dentist Howell (65) confessed to both killings. He implicated Stewart and she was ordered to serve at least 18 years, at her trial in 2011. Stewart launched her appeal against the length of her sentence on the basis of fresh psychiatric evidence that suggested she was suffering from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder at the time of the murders and had been coercively controlled by Howell. Stewart, watched the court of appeal ruling via a video-link from Hydebank Prison. The judge said the fresh psychiatric evidence had been presented 'well after the event' and 'places reliance on prison records to contradict the case made by all other experts'. She said: 'Even if there were any traction in the points now made, which we do not find, the trial judge also made allowance for Howell's control in the sentence he passed. 'No injustice arises in refusing to reopen this long-concluded appeal on these facts.' She added: 'We record this was a double murder of spouses in the cruellest of circumstances. 'Our overall view is that the sentence was neither wrong nor manifestly excessive. 'We refuse leave to admit the new evidence or to extend time as we are not convinced the new evidence establishes a valid ground of appeal.' – PA
BBC News
25-06-2025
- BBC News
Hazel Stewart: Double murderer will not be allowed to appeal sentence
Double murderer Hazel Stewart has failed in a legal bid to secure a reduced jail sentence for murdering her policeman husband and the wife of her 62-year-old mounted a fresh challenge based on claims she was under the coercive control of Colin Howell, who was also convicted of the Court of Appeal in Belfast denied Stewart permission to introduce new medical evidence to support her case that she had been suffering from a mental Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan ruled her minimum 18-year jail term was neither wrong nor manifestly excessive. "No injustice arises in refusing to reopen this long-concluded appeal on these facts." Dame Siobhan said."This was a double murder of spouses in the cruellest of circumstances."Stewart is in prison for murdering her husband Trevor Buchanan, 32, and Howell's 31-year-old wife Lesley Howell in Kelly KC, acting on her behalf, had told the court new evidence had come to light from a psychiatrist who believed Stewart had been suffering from depression and PTSD at the time of the murders of Mr Buchanan and Mrs argued that at the time of Stewart's sentencing in 2011 the issue of coercive control was not fully understood, in particular in the context of mental suggested had it been understood at the time of Stewart's sentencing, the new evidence would have been Philip Henry KC, on behalf of the Public Prosecution Service, insisted there was no jurisdiction for the court to hear the case because Stewart previously abandoned her also repeatedly questioned the strength of the new diagnosis, obtained more than 30 years after the reports from other psychiatrists who examined Stewart at earlier stages raised no concerns about mental illness at the time of the killings. What happened to the victims? Both victims were found in a fume-filled garage in Castlerock, Co originally believed the deaths were the result of a suicide pact after they discovered their partners were having an extra-marital they had been drugged and murdered before their bodies were arranged to make it look like they had taken their own took nearly two decades for the truth to emerge when Howell suddenly confessed to both was subsequently sentenced to a minimum of 21 years in also implicated his former lover in the plot and gave evidence against her at her the trial, the court heard Howell had planned and carried out the killings and Stewart had facilitated them by drugging her husband, allowing Howell into her house and disposing of a hose pipe used in the March 2011 Stewart was unanimously convicted of both killings by a jury at Coleraine Crown Court.
Telegraph
23-05-2025
- Telegraph
Double murderer Sunday school teacher blames her PTSD, court hears
Double murderer Hazel Stewart may have been suffering from mental illness when she killed her policeman husband and the wife of her ex-lover, a court heard on Friday, Stewart is serving a minimum of 18 years behind bars for the killing of Constable Trevor Buchanan, 32, and Lesley Howell, 31, the wife of her ex-lover Colin Howell. Both were found in a fume-filled garage in Castlerock, Co Londonderry, in May 1991. Police originally believed they had died in a suicide pact after discovering that their partners were having an extramarital affair. Instead, they had been drugged and murdered and their bodies arranged to make it look as though they had taken their own lives. Nearly two decades passed before dentist Howell, 65, confessed to both killings and went on to implicate Stewart at her trial in 2011. She is making a fresh bid to have her sentence reduced by arguing that she was suffering from PTSD at the time of the murders. Representing Stewart, Brendan KC said: 'This application was created by the discovery of fresh evidence.' He said a series of reports from a psychiatrist in 2024 had said Stewart was 'suffering from two forms of mental health, depression and PTSD, at the time of the murders'. Mr Kelly said 'coupled with coercive behaviour' from Howell, these were factors that should have been taken into account during her sentencing. The barrister said the new evidence was 'cogent and admissible'. He said her mental illness had been caused after she had an abortion in 1990, adding that her condition 'simply wasn't identified or recognised' at the time of her trial. Pointing out that the diagnosis had been made only last year, Mr Kelly said 'it was difficult to see how we could have moved more quickly'. The barrister said the application to give leave for appeal should be granted, the new evidence submitted to the court and the psychiatrist called as a witness. The Court of Appeal in Belfast also heard submissions that Stewart, 62, a former Sunday school teacher, was being coercively controlled by Howell at the time of the killings in 1991. However, a barrister for the Public Prosecution Service said that more than 30 years after the murders, Stewart had 'finally found a doctor who will say something sympathetic'. Representing the Public Prosecution Service, Philip Henry KC said Stewart's barrister was trying to create an 'exceptional scenario'. He said the appeal judges were being invited to 'feel so uncomfortable' about the new medical evidence that a 'sense of injustice is provoked'. Mr Henry said the psychiatrist was first instructed in 2023 and was initially given some, but not all, of the relevant medical material. He added that after the new psychiatric report, the court was 'nowhere near' the point where it could allow an appeal over the sentence to proceed. Mr Kelly denied that Stewart's legal team had been 'shopping for a psychiatrist'. Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan said the court would rule on the application next month.
