SOLICITORS FOR Hazel Stewart have begun proceedings to appeal her convictions for the murders of her husband and the wife of her former lover nearly 20 years ago.
Stewart (48), who is originally from Coleraine, Co Derry, is serving a life sentence, with a minimum tariff of 18 years, for her role in the killings of RUC officer Trevor Buchanan (32) and Lesley Howell (31), who were found dead in a car at an address in Castlerock, Co Derry, in May 1991.
Dentist Colin Howell is also serving a life sentence for poisoning the victims with carbon monoxide and staging their deaths to appear as suicide. The jury in Stewart’s murder trial accepted that she and Howell were in the murder plot to rid themselves of their respective spouses so that they could be together.
They found that Stewart knew of Howell’s plans to murder the victims and did nothing to prevent them. The court further found that she facilitated Howell’s murder of her husband, destroyed evidence, cleaned the scene of the murder and lied about it afterwards.
Howell confessed to the murder plot involving Stewart in 2009 and the police investigation was reopened. He was also a key prosecution witness in her trial.
Stephen Hastings, Stewart’s solicitor, confirmed to The Irish Times yesterday that an application for leave to appeal her conviction has been lodged.
He said there were “several technical issues” that would merit re-examination. The application is expected to take several months.
Stewart’s son and daughter, Andrew and Lisa Buchanan, are continuing to stand by their mother as is her husband, former senior RUC officer David Stewart.
Relatives of the two victims have called on the Police Ombudsman to examine the first RUC investigation of the murders.
Det Supt Raymond Murray, who headed the reopened investigation into the murders, has confirmed that Al Hutchinson’s investigators are examining the case.
“The family have made a complaint to the Police Ombudsman and I completely understand,” he said following Stewart’s conviction. “I look to the ombudsman now to investigate and come back to us.
“There are lessons to be learned and we will learn them. Things have moved on a great deal in 20 years, and I regret the fact that ... the families have had to wait 20 years.”
A file regarding Colin Howell’s second wife Kyle, who has returned to her native Florida since news of his confession to the murders, has been sent to the Public Prosecution Service.