Killer Hazel Stewart 'adding to pain of grieving relatives by 'lack of remorse and bids to evade justice'
Convicted killer Hazel Stewart is causing continued pain with her courtroom efforts to “evade justice”, one of her victim’s families have said.
A statement from the relatives of Lesley Howell said Stewart has shown a “complete lack of remorse” by pursuing repeated legal challenges over her conviction and sentence.
Meanwhile, they themselves have access to “no appeals, no paroles, no release date” for the “life sentence” imposed on them by the murder.
Their statement came as the Court of Appeal today denied Stewart’s attempt to challenge the length of her sentence for killing constable Trevor Buchanan, 32, and 31-year-old Lesley Howell in 1991.
Stewart had been convicted in 2011, alongside her one-time lover Colin Howell, of executing a plot to murder the pair and stage their deaths as a suicide.
Mr Buchanan had been Stewart’s husband, whilst Ms Howell was the wife of Colin Howell.
The truth – that the two victims had actually been drugged and choked to death on fumes – only emerged when Colin Howell suddenly confessed after two decades of secrecy.
A panel of judges at the Court of Appeal in Belfast today ruled that the sentence imposed on Stewart, 62, a former Sunday school teacher, was “neither wrong nor manifestly excessive”.
Stewart launched her appeal against the length of her sentence by claiming she had been “coercively controlled” by her co-conspirator.
Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan said Stewart’s appeal will have caused “stress and upset” to the families of those she killed.
She said this had been a case of “a double murder of spouses in the cruellest of circumstances”.
Dismissing the appeal, she added: “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.”
Ms Howell’s daughter, Dr Lauren Bradford-Clarke, watched the court proceedings via video-link today.
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.”
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.”
Stewart had sought leave to appeal against her conviction for the murder of Ms Howell in 2013, and this was dismissed by the Court of Appeal in the same year.
An appeal against her conviction for the murder of her husband was abandoned.
In 2015, a second appeal was mounted, but the High Court found no plausible grounds for it.
Stewart then applied to the Criminal Cases Review Commission in 2016 for a review of her conviction and sentence for the murder of Ms Howell – which was also rejected.