Marie McCourt, mother of murdered 22-year-old Helen McCourt, is calling for the prosecution of Ian Simms and others connected to the case for refusing to disclose the location of Helen’s remains. Helen McCourt is reported to have been abducted and murdered in 1988 by pub landlord Ian Simms.
McCourt argues that changes she previously helped bring about to the law aim to prevent killers from obtaining parole if they will not provide information about victims. She says she now wants additional legal action to ensure that refusals to disclose information are treated as chargeable conduct. Coverage of the case centers on the longstanding dispute over whether withheld information should affect sentencing outcomes and parole eligibility, and how those principles should apply in the aftermath of the murder.
The reporting available from the listed sources focuses largely on her campaign and her request to extend the legal consequences for silence, without presenting countervailing views from prosecutors or the defence in the provided text.
