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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.
The Independent
23-05-2025
- The Independent
‘Fresh evidence' double murderer Hazel Stewart had mental illness, court told
'Fresh evidence' suggests that double murderer Hazel Stewart was suffering from mental illness when she killed her policeman husband and the wife of her ex-lover, Colin Howell, a court has heard. 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. Three appeal court judges are hearing an application that Stewart should be given leave to mount an appeal over the length of her sentence. 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'. Stewart is serving a minimum 18 years behind bars for the killing of Constable Trevor Buchanan, 32, and Howell's 31-year-old wife Lesley 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. She is making a fresh bid to have her sentence reduced. Stewart, wearing a blue T-shirt and a necklace with a cross, watched proceedings via video link from Hydebank Prison. Lesley Howell's daughter, Dr Lauren Bradford-Clarke, was in the court, as was Stewart's second husband, David Stewart. The court heard lengthy submissions on whether it has jurisdiction to order a new appeal. It also has to adjudicate on a preliminary point about delay in raising the fresh ground of appeal. Representing Stewart, Brendan Kelly 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. He 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. 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'. He said the psychiatrist was first instructed in 2023 and was initially given some, but not all, of the relevant medical material. Mr Henry said: 'What we have here is a psychiatrist, 30 years after the event, diagnosing depression and PTSD.' The barrister said there had been six medical reports on Stewart closer to the time, adding 'every single one of those doctors examined the applicant in person'. He said none of them had concluded there was evidence of mental illness. He added: 'We have six reports, all closer to the time, all doctors properly instructed, all examined the applicant and none of them had concerns about mental illness at the time of the offending.' The barrister then referred to emails from Stewart's husband, David Stewart, to her solicitor, in which Mr Stewart had said medical experts were attempting to find evidence of mental illness but would not be able to. Mr Henry said: 'Finally a doctor has been found who will say something sympathetic.' The barrister said the recent psychiatric report was in 'direct contravention' of all previous medical evidence, describing it as 'one solitary voice'. He said 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. Following the hearing, Dr Bradford-Clarke was hugged by a number of supporters and friends outside court.
Irish Independent
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Seamus Power struggles in windy conditions as he drops out of contention at Myrtle Beach
The West Waterford man (38) dropped four shots in his first eight holes in 20mph winds at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club and followed his opening 64 with a five-over 76 to slip from joint second to 57th on two-under. He made the cut on the mark but trails leaders Mackenzie Hughes of Canada - his playing partner for the first two days - and Chile's Cristobal del Solar by eight strokes. 'It was blowing significantly harder,' Hughes said after carding a 69 to Del Solar's 67 to share the lead on 10-under, one ahead of five players. 'I mean, yesterday there was virtually no wind, and then today hit some shots where I was playing, you know, 20 yards of help or 20 yards of hurt at times. So, versus playing virtually none yesterday. 'Yeah, again, I thought it was challenging. I'm sure some guys had their way with the course and played well. 'I know there were some good scores in the morning. I would love to know what the low in the afternoon was, but yeah, I thought it was challenging. 'I didn't quite have my stuff, but all in all, kind of pleased with how it ended up.' Power didn't hit a fairway until his seventh hole - the 16th - but by then, he'd hit it in the left trees at the 11th, the water right at the 13th and the left rough at the 14th to drop three shots. He dropped another shot after missing left on the short 17th, and while he birdied the 18th from four feet, he three-putted the fifth from 50 feet and dropped another shot at the eighth following another missed fairway. While he hit seven fairways in the end, he found just eight greens in regulation and didn't make a putt outside four feet. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more If not already eligible, the winner of the event, held as an Additional Event alongside the Truist Championship this week, will earn a spot in the PGA Championship. That's not the case for Hughes or Power, who will be in the field next week at Quail Hollow. Nick Watney (44), who hasn't won in 13 years, shot 67 to lie a shot off the lead alongside Danny Walker (67), Harry Higgs (66), Will Chandler (69) and Davis Shore (66). At the Aramco Korea Championship on the Ladies European Tour, Castlerock's Annabel Wilson goes into tomorrow's final round just four shots off the lead. She made five birdies in a two-under 70 to share 12th place behind Hyo Joo Kim on level par. Kim also shot 70 to lead by a shot from South Africa's Lee-Anne Pace on four-under. Lauren Walsh was 32nd on three over after a 72, with Anna Foster 48th on five over after a 74. In the Epson Tour's Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic in Scottsdale, Sara Byrne is six shots off the lead in joint 27th with a round to play at TPC Scottsdale. She was three under for her second round with eight holes to play, but bogeyed the second (her 11th) and double bogeyed the par-five eighth to shoot a level par 71. Japan's Minori Nagano, Colombia's Valery Plata, and China's Liqi Zeng share the lead on eight-under.
