At last, a law for missing Helen
Mail praised as minister says killers will stay longer in jail if they don’t reveal where victim’s body is
‘Incalculable grief inflicted on families’
MINISTERS last night confirmed plans for a new ‘Helen’s Law’ which will keep killers who refuse to disclose the whereabouts of victims’ bodies in jail for longer.
Justice Secretary David Gauke said it was time that ‘wicked’ murderers who compounded the grief of innocent families by staying silent were held accountable.
The confirmation comes weeks after the Daily Mail revealed that the law was being considered by the Government.
Under the plans, named after murder victim Helen McCourt, the Parole Board will have a legal duty to reflect the failure to disclose the site of a victim’s remains when considering if a prisoner should be freed.
The announcement marks a victory for Helen’s mother, Marie McCourt, 74, who has been campaigning to stop the release of her daughter’s killer, Ian Simms.
Mr Gauke said it was testament to Mrs McCourt’s ‘unwavering’ determination that the law was being brought forward. He also praised the Mail for ‘admirably’ supporting her fight.
‘It is a particular cruelty to deny grieving families the opportunity to lay their murdered loved one to rest, and I have immense sympathy with Marie McCourt and others in her situation,’ Mr Gauke said. ‘Helen’s Law will mean that the Parole Board must consider this cruelty when reviewing an offender’s suitability for release, which could see them facing longer behind bars.
‘The grief inflicted on families and friends of the murdered is incalculable. Those responsible should know that if they choose to compound this further, they will be held accountable.’
Miss McCourt, 22, an insurance clerk, was killed in February 1988 after vanishing on her way home from work. Pub landlord Simms was convicted thanks to DNA evidence, but he has always refused to reveal the location of her remains and they have never been found. She was a regular at his pub in the village of Billinge, Merseyside.
Simms, 62, has already served almost double his 16-year minimum term, but he is in an open prison and has been pictured enjoying days out in the community, sparking fears he is being readied for release.
Last night Mrs McCourt told the Mail that, while she was delighted that the Government was bringing forward Helen’s Law, it was vital ministers now worked hard to get it on the statute book as quickly as possible.
‘Ian Simms is in an open prison, he could be given a new parole hearing any day now,’ she said. ‘It is vital for my case – and that of other families who are in the same situation – that Helen’s Law is put on the statute book as soon as possible.
‘Evil killers who refuse to disclose where the remains of their victims are located, who deny innocent families a proper burial for their loved ones, should not be freed to get on with their lives while our suffering continues. This legislation will
mean that myself and many other families will, hopefully, not have to endure the torture of not knowing where their loved ones remains can be recovered from.’
Although the new law falls short of Mrs McCourt’s desire for ‘no body, no parole’ legislation – which would stop killers ever being released unless they revealed the whereabouts of their victim’s body, or at least co-operated – she said it would make a huge difference.
The Government said it was difficult to put a timescale on exactly when Helen’s Law would be on the statute book.
Guidelines already state that the Parole Board should take into account the fact that a killer is unwilling to disclose the whereabouts of their victim’s body, but Helen’s Law will make it a legal requirement for the first time.