Author Topic: Ian Simms dies without revealing location of victim's body  (Read 613 times)

Offline Nobby Reserve

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Ian Simms dies without revealing location of victim's body
« on: June 28, 2022, 10:56:37 am »
A bit niche this, but it was a huge story at the time round here.

In 1988, pub landlord Ian Simms mudered 22 year old Helen McCourt in Billinge, near St Helens. Her body was never found and he denied murdering her, but there was plenty of evidence pointing to him and he was convicted. But he would never reveal the body's whereabouts and her family tried for years to locate it (even resorting to crank 'psychics'). They campaigned for him not to be released until he revealed the location, but he never did and maintained he never murdered her. His failure to admit the offence prolonged his time in prison but, despite pleas to the Home Office by the family, he was eventually released on licence two years ago.

summary of the case & evidence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Helen_McCourt

Her family campaigned for a law change that prevented convicted murderers from being released without admitting where the body was, but The Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Act 2020 was adopted too late too late to stop Simms being released.

Anyway, the c*nt has died.

Without ever revealing where he put the body.

A Tory, a worker and an immigrant are sat round a table. There's a plate of 10 biscuits in the middle. The Tory takes 9 then turns to the worker and says "that immigrant is trying to steal your biscuit"

Offline thaddeus

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Re: Ian Simms dies without revealing location of victim's body
« Reply #1 on: June 28, 2022, 11:30:21 am »
The UK has a history full of plenty of miscarriages of justice but, to be clear, this definitely wasn't one.  From Nobby's link:

Quote
At his trial in 1989, Simms denied murdering Helen, claiming that someone must have got into his flat, stolen his clothes and dressed in them, and attacked and murdered her without his knowledge. This person had then used his car to dispose of her body and then left his clothes where they would be found to incriminate him. Simms admitted that he was in the pub from 4:20 to 6 o'clock. He could not explain how this "other murderer" could have got into the pub, dressed in his clothes and attacked and murdered Helen during this time without disturbing either him or his Rotweiler guard dog.
Preposterous nonsense.

It's heart-breaking for Helen McCourt's family that they'll never be able to give her a proper burial.