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 ex-lover. The 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 murders. 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 illness. Lady 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 1991. Howell is serving a 21-year sentence in HMP Maghaberry. Brendan 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 Howell. He 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 health. He suggested had it been understood at the time of Stewart's sentencing, the new evidence would have been admissible. But 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 appeal. He also repeatedly questioned the strength of the new diagnosis, obtained more than 30 years after the killings. Six reports from other psychiatrists who examined Stewart at earlier stages raised no concerns about mental illness at the time of the killings. Both victims were found in a fume-filled garage in Castlerock, Co Londonderry. Police originally believed the deaths were the result of a suicide pact after they discovered their partners were having an extra-marital affair. Instead, they had been drugged and murdered before their bodies were arranged to make it look like they had taken their own lives. It took nearly two decades for the truth to emerge when Howell suddenly confessed to both killings. Howell also implicated his former lover in the plot and gave evidence against her at her trial. During 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 murder. In March 2011 Stewart was unanimously convicted of both killings by a jury at Coleraine Crown Court.
Double murderer will not be allowed to appeal sentence
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"Court Rejects Hazel Stewart's Bid to Appeal Double Murder Sentence"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
Hazel Stewart, a 62-year-old convicted double murderer, has been denied permission by the Court of Appeal in Belfast to appeal her 18-year prison sentence. Stewart was found guilty of murdering her husband, Trevor Buchanan, and the wife of her former lover, Lesley Howell, in 1991. Her legal team argued for a reduced sentence based on claims of coercive control exerted by Colin Howell, who is also serving time for the murders. They attempted to introduce new medical evidence suggesting Stewart had been suffering from mental health issues, including depression and PTSD, at the time of the killings. However, Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan ruled that the minimum sentence was neither incorrect nor excessively harsh, emphasizing that the circumstances surrounding the double murder were particularly cruel. She stated that reopening the appeal would not serve justice given the context of the case.
During the appeal, Stewart's counsel, Brendan Kelly KC, contended that the understanding of coercive control and its implications on mental health were not fully recognized at the time of her sentencing in 2011. He claimed that had this evidence been available, it would have significantly impacted the outcome of her original trial. Nevertheless, the prosecution, represented by Philip Henry KC, argued that Stewart had previously abandoned her appeal and that the new psychiatric diagnosis lacked credibility, especially since other experts had not identified mental illness at the time of the murders. The court heard that both victims were initially thought to have died in a suicide pact, but it was later revealed that they were drugged and murdered by Howell, with Stewart playing a role in facilitating the crime. This revelation came nearly two decades later when Howell confessed to the murders and implicated Stewart, who was convicted by a jury in 2011. The court's decision ultimately leaves Stewart's conviction and sentence intact, marking a significant moment in a long and complex legal saga.
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