Hazel Stewart has been told she must serve at least 18 years in prison for the murders of her husband and her former lover’s wife.
Stewart (48) from Ballystrone Road, Coleraine, Co Derry was found guilty earlier this month of plotting with dentist Colin Howell to poison his wife Lesley (31) and her own husband, PC Trevor Buchanan (32) in 1991.
She was sentenced to the mandatory life term. Mr Justice Hart told Coleraine Crown Court sitting in Belfast today that Stewart cannot be considered for parole until she has served the minimum tariff of 18 years.
Howell is currently serving a life sentence with a 21-year minimum tariff following his confession two years ago and guilty plea last year.
The murder victims were found dead in a fume-filled garage in the seaside village of Castlerock, Co Derry in 1991. They had been murdered and their deaths made to look like suicide.
Stewart's trial last month heard that she was involved in the murder plan, disposed of vital evidence and lied to cover up her role in the murders. She was found guilty by unanimous decision of a jury of nine men and three women on March 2nd.
Setting the minimum term for her imprisonment, the judge said Howell and Stewart were both involved in the murder plot. He said she knew of Howell's plan to murder their respective spouses so that they could be together and had done nothing to prevent their deaths.
As part of the plan, Stewart was to ensure her husband was to have taken a sedative before Howell arrived at their home to poison him with carbon monoxide fumes. She further had to facilitate Howell by opening the garage door so he could park his car there and by letting him into the house with a view to murder.
Mr Justice Hart further said Stewart knew Howell had already murdered his wife and was there to murder her husband.
Following his killing, she provided Howell with clean clothes so that he could dress the body before taking it away to Castlerock. The murder victims were left in a way which fooled others into thinking they had taken their own lives.
Stewart also admitted to police that she destroyed evidence including the hosepipe used by Howell to gas her husband and that she washed the bed covers in the room where he was murdered.
Finally, she concealed details of the murders and gave false accounts to the police and others.
Stewart was entitled to some reduction in sentence to reflect the fact that Howell masterminded the plot and carried out the killings after persuading her to take part.
However the judge said Howell had admitted his role, confessed and gave evidence against her during her trial. He said her plea of not guilty was relevant as was her repeated attempts to hide from responsibility.
"I consider that she has expressed little real remorse for what she did, rather the sorrow and regret which she expressed to the police was largely because of the situation in which she found herself, and not for the events in which she played her part," he said.
Victim impact statements from members of the Howell and Buchanan families contained eloquent and moving accounts of their loss, the judge continued. He also mentioned moving pleas for leniency from Stewart's current husband and her two children Lisa, and Andrew who have supported her throughout the case.
Taking all such factors into account, the judge said she should serve 18 years in jail.
Stewart, who appeared composed throughout, looked downwards throughout the judge's remarks to the court and did not respond when he issued his concluding remarks.
Her husband and children, sitting behind her in the gallery, also showed little reaction.