Don’t let my daughter’s killer go free
Murderer won’t say where his victim’s body is... and now he’s up for parole
ANEW law could mean Britain’s most callous killers remain behind bars forever.
Murderers who refuse to reveal the location of their victims’ bodies – and deny grieving families any chance of closure – could die behind bars under proposed legislation included in the Queen’s Speech last week.
But Marie McCourt, the mum whose campaign inspired it, faces a race against time because the man who murdered her daughter could get paroled before the law is on the statute books.
Marie’s daughter, Helen McCourt, a 22-year-old insurance clerk, was killed on February 8, 1988, by pub landlord Ian Simms. He still denies the murder and says he has no idea where Helen’s body is.
But, in a matter of weeks a parole board could decide to release him. He has already enjoyed a taste of freedom.
In March this year he was pictured, for the first time in more than 30 years, waiting for a bus in Birmingham while returning to an open prison in Gloucestershire. He had spent five days staying at a hostel for offenders.
And, in the first week of November the Parole Board is to hold a two-day hearing in London to decide if Simms should be released for good.
Marie fears he may be let out before Helen’s Law is on the statute book – denying her the chance of burying Helen forever, and allowing him to get away with the way he has compounded the family’s grief.
“I met with the then Justice Secretary, David Gauke, in May and he had about six or seven staff with him,” Marie told the M.E.N.
“He told me that they were the people who would be writing Helen’s Law and that it could be law within a few months. I was elated at the time and I am relieved it has been included in the Queen’s Speech. “But when I met Mr Gauke’s successor, Robert Buckland, on Monday, as it was being included in the Queen’s Speech, I was told it could now be spring before it becomes law.”
Parole Board guidance already says offenders who withhold information may still pose a risk to the public and could therefore face longer in prison. But Helen’s Law will for the first time make it a legal requirement to consider this withholding of information when making a decision on whether to release an offender, the Ministry of Justice has said.
Marie, 76, said: “My worry is that because it will not be law until next year, the Parole Board will not be compelled to consider Simms’ refusal to say where Helen’s body is at his hearing next month.”
She added: “I was really angry when I discovered he had been allowed out without an escort in Birmingham.
“By coincidence I was actually in Birmingham myself that day, visiting a professor of criminology at the University.
“I don’t think he should be allowed out at all.
“Why should he be allowed his freedom when I still haven’t been able to bury my Helen?
“I know many families who are depending on this new law. I have been in touch with about 40 who face the same pain as ours.
“I’m so glad this law is going through as it’s definitely much needed.
“No family should have to suffer like this, it’s so difficult to deal with death of a loved one, and not know the reason why they died.
“We need answers.
“Killers like Simms should not be counting down the time to the minimum tariff for release.”
Helen’s Law was launched in 2015 and resulted in a 600,000-name petition.
It was also backed by the families of murdered Paul Morson 32, killed in 2011, and Chantel Taylor, 27, who was killed before her body was dismembered, in 2004.
Those families, like Helen’s, have also had to deal with not finding their loved one’s body.
Marie still remembers vividly the night Helen did not come home.
“The last known sighting of her was 200 yards from where we live”, Marie said. Within 48 hours police had a suspect, Ian Simms.
His pub, the George and Dragon, was just yards from Helen’s home in Billinge near Wigan, and her opal and pearl earring had been found in his mud-splattered car.
In his car police found traces of Helen’s blood. Further traces were found in Simms’ flat.
In March some of Helen’s clothing was found in a black bin liner on the banks of the River Irwell in Irlam.
Also in the bag was a length of electrical flex, which police believe was used to strangle her.
Simms would become one of the first people in this country to be convicted on DNA evidence without the victim’s body being found.
He was given a life sentence in 1989 with a minimum tariff of 16 years. But his refusal to admit to the crime – and his silence regarding the location of Helen’s body – mean he has served almost double that.
In March as he was being photographed in Birmingham, Simms told a journalist: “If I knew where the body was I would never have done 16 years extra prison, would I?”
Marie’s local MP, Labour’s Conor McGinn, believes Simms ‘should never be released, unless he discloses [the location of the body].’
Justice Secretary Mr Buckland said in a statement: “Innocent families should never have their grief compounded by offenders who refuse to disclose information on their victims.
“Not only will this bill help prevent the torture of families in Marie’s situation, but we also believe evil sexual offenders who refuse to identify victims should face longer behind bars.”
In a matter of weeks a parole board could decide to release Simms. He has already enjoyed a taste of freedom