Colin Howell

Colin Howell (born 14 March 1959) is a Northern Irish dentist and convicted double murderer who killed his wife, Lesley Howell, and the husband of his lover, Trevor Buchanan, in May 1991 by carbon monoxide poisoning, disguising the deaths as a suicide pact.^[1][2] He confessed to the police in January 2009 after years of secrecy, leading to his guilty plea and a life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years in December 2010.^[3][2] His accomplice and former lover, Hazel Stewart, was convicted in March 2011 of the two murders, receiving a minimum term of 18 years.^[3][4] Howell grew up in Portadown, qualified as a dentist at Queen's University Belfast, and established a successful practice in Ballymoney, County Londonderry.^[1][2] He married Lesley, an award-winning nurse from Plymouth, on 16 July 1983, and the couple had four children while living in Coleraine; both were active members of the Coleraine Baptist Church.^[1][2] In 1990, Howell began an extramarital affair with Hazel Stewart, a fellow church member whose husband, Trevor Buchanan, was a police constable; the affair included her undergoing an abortion that summer. The affair was discovered by church pastor John Hansford, prompting temporary counseling, but it resumed soon after.^[3][5] The murders occurred on 19 May 1991, coinciding with the second birthday of Howell's son Daniel and shortly after the death of Lesley's father.^[2][3] Howell first poisoned Lesley with carbon monoxide at their home in Knocklayde Park, Coleraine, then transported her body to a garage in Castlerock; he later poisoned Buchanan at Stewart's home using sedatives provided by Howell and exhaust fumes from a car.^[1][3] The bodies of Lesley (aged 31) and Buchanan (aged 32) were discovered the next day in a car filled with fumes, ruled a suicide pact by the coroner in 1992 due to the apparent double suicide note and lack of suspicion at the time.^[2][3] Howell's confession came after personal tragedies, including the 2007 death of his son Matthew in a fall from a St Petersburg balcony and financial losses from a fraudulent investment scheme in the Philippines, which he attributed to a need for spiritual reckoning during a church confession.^[1][6] On 30 January 2009, he voluntarily approached Coleraine police station, providing detailed admissions that reopened the investigation.^[3] Initially denying involvement, both Howell and Stewart were charged in February 2009; Howell changed his plea to guilty on 18 November 2010, just before his trial at Belfast Crown Court.^[3][2] Stewart's trial in February 2011 resulted in her conviction for both murders after over two hours of jury deliberation.^[3] As of 2025, Howell remains imprisoned, while Stewart, incarcerated at Hydebank Wood Women's Prison, had her application for leave to appeal her sentence dismissed by the Court of Appeal in June 2025; the court rejected arguments that she was under Howell's coercive control at the time of the crimes, supported by evidence of her depression and PTSD from the 1990 abortion.^[7] The case, one of Northern Ireland's most notorious, has been dramatized in media, including an ITV series, and highlighted issues of church influence and delayed justice.^[1]

Early Life and Career

Childhood and Education

Colin Howell was born in Portadown, Northern Ireland, in 1959, into a Protestant family. He grew up in the town, which is known for its strong Protestant community, and attended local schools, including Portadown College. Raised in a religious household, Howell showed early involvement in church activities, which shaped his later commitment to evangelical Christianity, including his role as a lay preacher.^{[8][9][10][11]} After completing his secondary education, Howell pursued a career in dentistry, studying at Queen's University Belfast. He qualified as a dentist in the early 1980s, around 1983. Following his qualification, Howell established his initial professional practice in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, where he began building a reputation as a successful practitioner. His practice initially in Coleraine later expanded to include locations in Ballymoney and Bangor.^[8][12][13]

Professional Life as a Dentist

Colin Howell qualified as a dentist from Queen's University Belfast in the early 1980s, after which he relocated to Coleraine, Northern Ireland, to establish his professional practice.^[1][12] By the mid-1980s, Howell had developed a successful dental surgery in Coleraine, specializing in implants and cosmetic procedures, which later expanded to include the Causeway Dental Implant Studio. His practice became known for advanced treatments, with fees for implants ranging from £1,600 to £2,100, reflecting its upscale clientele that reportedly included high-profile figures such as King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan, according to Howell's promotional materials. Howell further bolstered his reputation by lecturing on dental techniques at Queen's University Belfast, and claimed to have done so in the Middle East.^[13] Howell's professional success was complemented by his role as a lay preacher at Coleraine Baptist Church, where his early religious influences from childhood shaped his commitment to community service and positioned him as a respected local figure. The financial stability from his thriving practice supported a prominent standing in Coleraine society.^[1][14][13]

Personal Relationships

First Marriage to Lesley Howell

Colin Howell married Lesley Clarke, a nurse, on 16 June 1983, after meeting in Belfast two years earlier; the couple was known as a devoted Protestant pair deeply involved in their faith community.^[15] They settled in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, where Howell's stable career as a dentist provided financial security for the family. Between 1984 and 1990, Lesley and Colin had four children—Matthew, Lauren, Daniel, and Jonathan—forming a close-knit family unit centered on daily routines such as attending playgroups, swimming lessons, and shared meals in their Coleraine home.^[15][16] The family emphasized structure and involvement, with the children participating in local activities that reflected the couple's commitment to community and upbringing. As active members of Coleraine Baptist Church, the Howells regularly attended services and engaged in religious events, with Colin serving as a lay preacher and Sunday school teacher, reinforcing their shared Protestant values and family devotion.^[15][17] By the late 1980s, however, strains began to emerge in the marriage, attributed to Howell's controlling and manipulative nature, which affected family dynamics and Lesley's well-being.^[11][18]

Affair with Hazel Stewart

In the summer of 1990, Colin Howell, a dentist from Ballymoney, initiated an adulterous affair with Hazel Elkin, a 27-year-old married woman from the area.^[19] They had first encountered each other through church circles at Coleraine Baptist Church several years earlier, but their mutual attraction intensified during church-organized swimming lessons that spring, where Elkin complimented Howell's swimming technique, leading to their first intimate encounter shortly thereafter under the pretense of guitar lessons at her home.^[20] At the time, Elkin was married to Trevor Buchanan, a 32-year-old constable with the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), with whom she shared two young children; the couple had wed in 1981 at Omagh Baptist Church.^[19] The affair quickly deepened through clandestine meetings, often arranged via a discreet phone signal where one would dial and hang up to alert the other.^[20] Howell would visit Elkin's home late at night—typically between 12:30 a.m. and 4 a.m.—while Buchanan was on duty, entering through the back door or a window to avoid detection; these encounters occurred one to two times per week and included sexual relations.^[21] Emotionally, the relationship ensnared both parties, with Howell later describing it as "like an addiction" and admitting he craved the affirmation it offered amid his insecurities.^[19] Elkin became pregnant early in the affair and underwent an abortion in England in August 1990, a decision that temporarily strained their connection but ultimately reinforced their secrecy and mutual dependence.^[19] Elkin's growing dissatisfaction with her marriage to Buchanan, marked by emotional distance and her involvement in the affair, mirrored Howell's own marital strife with his wife Lesley, who had expressed doubts about their relationship and the burdens of family life.^[20] This parallel unhappiness fostered a profound bond, as both confided in each other about their unfulfilling partnerships.^[21] During their secret rendezvous, they frequently professed love and discussed aspirations for a shared future free from their spouses, with Howell voicing desires to eliminate the barriers standing in their way, though these remained vague expressions without concrete steps.^[20] Howell's controlling tendencies began to surface in the dynamic, as he dictated the terms of their meetings and emotional exchanges.^[21]

The 1991 Murders

Planning the Double Murders

Colin Howell and Hazel Stewart, both devout members of the Coleraine Baptist Church, devised a plan to murder their respective spouses—Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan—driven primarily by their intense desire to end their marriages and begin a life together without the social and religious stigma associated with divorce. In their tightly knit religious circle, divorce was viewed as a profound moral failing, making it an unacceptable option for the couple, who had rekindled their affair in late 1990 after initially meeting in summer 1990. Additionally, financial incentives played a role, as Howell anticipated substantial gains from Lesley's life insurance policy and inheritance, approximately £414,000 from her estate, related policies, and the sale of their home, which would alleviate his mounting debts from professional and personal pressures.^[18][22][23] Howell, leveraging his scientific background as a dentist, conducted research into carbon monoxide poisoning as a method that could mimic suicide and evade detection, drawing inspiration from contemporary news reports of similar vehicle exhaust-related deaths ruled as suicides. He determined that feeding car exhaust fumes into a confined space via a hosepipe would induce unconsciousness without visible struggle, framing the deaths as a tragic pact born of despair. This approach allowed for an "undetectable" kill, aligning with Howell's self-justification of the act as a merciful "euthanasia" to spare his wife further emotional pain amid their strained marriage.^[18][24] Coordination between Howell and Stewart intensified through secretive meetings and discussions, where Stewart expressed willingness to facilitate access to Trevor's home and vehicle, including leaving the garage unlocked and the car positioned outside for ease of execution. While Howell took the lead in devising the technical details, Stewart participated in planning conversations, agreeing to sedate Trevor with sleeping tablets to ensure compliance, reflecting her partial but active complicity in the scheme. Their collaboration was underpinned by mutual assurances of a shared future, with Stewart providing logistical support drawn from her intimate knowledge of Trevor's routines.^[18][24] Planning escalated in early 1991 as their affair deepened, with Howell acquiring necessary equipment such as hosepipes and adapters over the following months to test and refine the method in his garage. By mid-May 1991, the scheme had crystallized, with Howell outlining the final steps to Stewart during a clandestine meeting on 14 May, just days before implementation, after conceiving the core idea on 13 May amid escalating marital tensions. This timeline allowed for meticulous preparation, including Howell's fabrication of custom hose attachments to connect vehicle exhausts to enclosed spaces.^[18][23]

Execution and Staging as Suicides

On the night of 18 May 1991, Colin Howell murdered his wife, Lesley Howell, at their home in Knocklayde Park, Coleraine, Northern Ireland, by poisoning her with carbon monoxide fumes from his car's exhaust.^[15] Howell had drugged Lesley with sleeping tablets beforehand and connected a hosepipe to the exhaust, directing the fumes into the living room where she lay asleep on the sofa; as she briefly awoke and cried out, he held the pipe to her face until she succumbed.^[15][18] Following her death, Howell placed her body in the boot of his car and contacted his lover, Hazel Stewart, to confirm the killing before proceeding to her home.^[15] The following day, 19 May 1991, Howell and Stewart executed the murder of Stewart's husband, Trevor Buchanan, a Royal Ulster Constabulary officer, at their home in Castlerock.^[25] Stewart had administered sleeping tablets to Buchanan to ensure he was unconscious, allowing Howell to enter the house and force carbon monoxide fumes from his car exhaust—via a garden hose inserted into Buchanan's mouth—into his bedroom, resulting in a brief struggle before his death.^[15][18] Howell then dressed Buchanan's body and placed it in the car's boot alongside Lesley's.^[15] To disguise the homicides as a double suicide pact, Howell drove the vehicle containing both bodies to an empty garage at 7 Cliff Terrace in Castlerock, owned by Lesley's deceased father, and meticulously staged the scene.^[15][18] He positioned Lesley's body in the boot with headphones on and family photographs nearby, while placing Buchanan in the driver's seat; a vacuum cleaner hose was attached loosely to the exhaust pipe inside the garage to simulate self-inflicted gassing, and Howell provided a forged suicide note purportedly written by Lesley, referencing marital distress.^[15][25] Stewart assisted by burning the garden hose used on Buchanan to eliminate evidence, while Howell disposed of his bloodied gloves and clothing.^[18] When the bodies were discovered later on 19 May 1991, after Howell alerted church elders and prompted a search, the Royal Ulster Constabulary initially investigated the deaths as a tragic suicide pact based on the staged evidence and Howell's account of the couple's supposed despair.^[15][18] A coroner's inquest in May 1992 officially ruled the cause of death for both as carbon monoxide poisoning consistent with suicide, with no forensic anomalies pursued at the time.^[25][18]

Immediate Aftermath of the Murders

Insurance Payout and Life Insurance Claims

Following the deaths of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan in May 1991, which were initially ruled as suicides, Colin Howell and Hazel Stewart each received substantial life insurance payouts that were not contested at the time due to the absence of any indication of foul play.^[26][27] Howell collected approximately £414,000 in total financial benefits from his wife's death, including a £120,000 life insurance payout, which was disbursed in late 1991 after the suicide determination facilitated the claims process without raising red flags from insurers.^[22][28] This sum also encompassed £212,446 from Lesley's will, £27,000 from her late father's estate, and a £54,635 endowment policy payout, all of which were processed smoothly owing to the staged evidence that supported the official suicide verdict.^[29][26] Although Howell later claimed during his 2010 sentencing that he had anticipated no insurance recovery due to the suicide ruling, the policies were honored, providing him with unexpected liquidity at a time when he was in debt.^[22][27] Stewart, as the widow of police officer Trevor Buchanan, received a smaller but significant payout of around £130,000 in combined benefits, including life insurance proceeds from an endowment policy tied to her husband's death, which was similarly unscrutinized under the suicide classification.^[30][31] This amount was supplemented by a police widow's pension, allowing her to maintain financial stability in the immediate aftermath.^[30] The couple had engaged in joint financial planning prior to the murders, anticipating these payouts as a means to fund their future together without the encumbrances of their spouses, though the exact coordination of funds post-event was not publicly detailed beyond their shared intent to start anew.^[26][27] Howell utilized a portion of his insurance and inheritance funds to relocate to a new home and expand his dental practice in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, which enabled professional growth and a more affluent lifestyle in the years following the crimes.^[27] Insurers raised no initial suspicions, as the carbon monoxide poisoning was convincingly presented as a double suicide pact, with no forensic or circumstantial evidence prompting further investigation at the time.^[26][22]

Suspicion Regarding Father-in-Law's Death

On 7 May 1991, Harry Clarke, the father of Lesley Howell, collapsed and died at the family home in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, where he had been staying with his daughter and son-in-law Colin Howell. The coroner ruled the death as due to natural causes from a heart attack, with no post-mortem examination performed and Clarke's body subsequently cremated.^[3][32] This event occurred just 12 days before the double murders of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan on 19 May 1991. Following Colin Howell's 2009 confession to those murders and his subsequent arrest, police in 2010 and 2011 reopened investigations into several related deaths, including Clarke's, questioning Howell about potential involvement. Suspicions arose due to Howell's presence at the time of the collapse, his background as a dentist with access to medications, and early concerns noted by officers in 1991 regarding Howell's control over Lesley's prescriptions and possible financial motives. Howell was interviewed specifically about Clarke's death but denied any role in it.^[33][18][34] Despite these inquiries, no evidence emerged to support foul play, such as poisoning or inducement, and no charges were filed against Howell in connection with Clarke's death. Lesley's brother, Chris Clarke, publicly expressed deep suspicions in 2011, stating there was a "very real possibility" his father had been murdered given Clarke's previously good health and the suspicious timing amid the family's turmoil. He highlighted the lack of a post-mortem as a barrier to further clarity.^[32][34] The case drew media attention in 2011, with reports speculating on Howell's pattern of manipulation and control within the family, amplifying the emotional toll on Clarke's relatives who sought answers years later. Chris Clarke described the unresolved questions as compounding the grief from his sister's murder, though the official stance remained that Clarke's death was natural. The investigations ultimately concluded without altering the original coroner's finding.^[35][32]

Post-Murder Life and Downfall

Second Marriage and Family Expansion

Following the deaths of his first wife and her lover's husband in 1991, Colin Howell began rebuilding his personal life within the close-knit evangelical community in Northern Ireland. In the mid-1990s, he met Kyle Jorgensen, an American woman originally from New York who had relocated to the UK for church-related work. Their courtship developed through shared involvement in Bible study groups, leading to their marriage in 1997. Jorgensen, who had previously endured an abusive first marriage, found in Howell a seemingly devout and stable partner, and the couple settled in Castlerock, County Londonderry, where they built a large family home overlooking the north coast.^[36] The marriage marked a period of family expansion for Howell, who already had four children from his first marriage. He and Jorgensen had five children together between 1998 and the mid-2000s, bringing his total to nine. The family occasionally relocated for short periods, including time in the United States to support missionary activities connected to their church networks, though they primarily resided in Northern Ireland. This era allowed Howell to present an image of domestic stability and piety; he continued his successful career as a dentist, operating a private practice in Ballymoney that provided financial security bolstered by earlier life insurance payouts from 1991.^[37][38][24] Howell also deepened his role in church leadership, participating in evangelical groups and youth programs, which reinforced his reputation as a respected community figure and masked his underlying remorse over the past events. Despite this outward normalcy, Howell harbored persistent internal guilt about the 1991 incidents, which manifested in controlling behaviors toward Jorgensen, including emotional manipulation to maintain the family's public facade. In 1998, shortly after the birth of their first child, Howell confessed the 1991 murders to Jorgensen and coerced her into keeping the secret by pleading for the sake of their family and threatening suicide if she revealed it.^{[37][39][11][39]}

Financial Scam in the Philippines

In 2008, Colin Howell traveled to the Philippines to pursue a get-rich-quick scheme centered on recovering Yamashita's gold, a fabled World War II treasure supposedly hidden by Japanese forces in underwater caves. Introduced to the venture by a fellow Baptist church member, Howell believed it offered a path to immense wealth, estimated at £20 million, through a diving expedition guided by provided maps and local contacts. He invested £350,000 of his accumulated savings from life insurance payouts and his dental practice into the project, viewing it as an opportunity aligned with his faith-driven optimism.^[40] The endeavor quickly unraveled as a fraud, with the expedition yielding only a few brass ammunition boxes and silver coins valued at around £30, confirming the maps and contacts as fabrications designed to exploit investors. Howell's total loss of £350,000 left him financially ruined, stripping away the security he had built from prior insurance claims and professional earnings. This debacle exposed his vulnerability, rooted in his devout Christian convictions that emphasized trust in providence and fellow believers, which the scammers had cynically manipulated.^[27] The financial catastrophe severely impacted Howell's family, plunging them into hardship and exacerbating tensions in his second marriage to Kyle Jorgensen. The strain from the losses contributed directly to the breakdown of their relationship, culminating in divorce proceedings finalized in 2011. Amid the fallout, Howell's sense of betrayal—particularly by a perpetrator within his religious community—intensified his personal crisis, though the scam's immediate effects centered on the irreversible depletion of his resources.^[41]

Confession and Investigation

2009 Confession to Church Elders

On 29 January 2009, Colin Howell confessed to elders of his local Baptist church at his home near Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, admitting that he had murdered his first wife, Lesley Howell, and her lover's husband, Trevor Buchanan, in 1991 by gassing them with car exhaust fumes and staging their deaths to appear as a double suicide pact.^[42][18] The confession was prompted by Howell's second wife, Kyle Jorgensen, who, citing biblical principles of truth and redemption, insisted he unburden himself to the church leaders during a period of personal turmoil. Howell's remorse stemmed from his deep religious convictions as an evangelical Christian, compounded by recent failures such as his involvement in a fraudulent investment scheme in the Philippines that led to financial ruin and his return to Northern Ireland.^[42][43] During the meeting, attended by four elders from the Barn Christian Fellowship, Howell provided a detailed account of the killings and implored them to maintain confidentiality under pastoral privilege, arguing that the disclosure would destroy his family. Despite this plea, the elders deemed the admissions too grave to withhold and reported them to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) shortly thereafter, initiating the formal reopening of the long-closed case.^[42][18] The PSNI initially treated the report with caution given the 18-year lapse since the original investigation had ruled the deaths as suicides, but Howell's subsequent voluntary surrender and corroborative evidence prompted a full murder inquiry by February 2009.^[15][18]

Arrest and Police Reopening of Case

Following Howell's confession to church elders in January 2009, the elders reported the matter to authorities, prompting police to reopen the investigation into the 1991 deaths of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan, which had previously been ruled as suicides.^[44] Howell was interviewed by police the same day and formally confessed in January 2009, providing detailed statements that implicated both himself and his former lover, Hazel Stewart (then Hazel Buchanan), in the murders.^[41] This led to a comprehensive review of the original case files, including witness statements, scene evidence, and toxicology reports that had established carbon monoxide poisoning as the cause of death but lacked evidence of foul play at the time.^[18] In early 2009, detectives considered exhuming the bodies to conduct advanced forensic tests, including updated toxicology analysis, to corroborate Howell's account and reclassify the deaths as homicides.^[45][46] Howell was arrested in January 2009 and charged with two counts of murder by late February 2009, while Stewart was arrested the same month after Howell's statements directly implicated her in assisting with the killings and cover-up.^[33][5] The revived probe extended to financial aspects of the case, leading to confiscation proceedings against both Howell and Stewart in May 2011 under Northern Ireland's proceeds of crime laws, targeting properties and funds derived from insurance payouts received after the deaths; however, these proceedings were withdrawn later that month.^[47] Extensive media coverage throughout 2009–2011, including reports on the confession, arrests, and forensic developments, renewed public scrutiny of the original investigation's shortcomings and highlighted the long-suppressed truth behind the apparent double suicide.^[1]

Trials and Convictions

Plea and Sentencing for Murders

On 18 November 2010, Colin Howell pleaded guilty to the murders of his wife, Lesley Howell, and Trevor Buchanan at Belfast Crown Court.^[2] The plea came following a reopened police investigation prompted by Howell's 2009 confession to church elders, which led to charges being brought against him.^[19] Howell was sentenced on 3 December 2010 at Belfast Crown Court by Mr Justice Anthony Hart, who imposed two life sentences with a minimum term of 21 years before he could be considered for parole.^[48] The judge described the killings as "truly heinous crimes" that were "cold-blooded, carefully planned and ruthlessly executed," noting that both victims had been attacked while asleep and defenseless in their homes, with Howell using a makeshift hose connected to a car exhaust to pump carbon monoxide fumes into their bedrooms.^[48] Hart emphasized Howell's manipulation in staging the deaths to appear as a suicide pact, which inflicted additional stigma and grief on the families for nearly two decades, and remarked that Howell had shown no genuine remorse despite his confession, viewing it partly as a means to unburden himself rather than true contrition.^[48] During the sentencing hearing, victim impact statements were delivered by family members, including two of Howell's own children, Lesley's brother, and relatives of Trevor Buchanan, who detailed the profound betrayal, ongoing trauma, and shattered lives caused by the murders and the subsequent cover-up.^[48] These statements highlighted the enduring pain of losing loved ones to what was long believed to be suicide, with one family member describing the revelation as a "second death" that reopened wounds and destroyed trust in Howell's facade of respectability.^[48] The court proceedings underscored the scale of Howell's deception, as he had benefited from insurance payouts and avoided suspicion while rebuilding his life.^[49]

Conviction of Accomplice Hazel Stewart

Hazel Stewart's trial for the murders of her husband, Constable Trevor Buchanan, and Lesley Howell began in February 2011 at Coleraine Crown Court, following Colin Howell's guilty plea to the same charges in November 2010.^[50] Stewart, then 46, pleaded not guilty to both counts of murder, claiming she had been coerced by Howell and played no active role in the killings.^[51] The prosecution argued that Stewart was a willing participant in the joint plan to stage the deaths as suicides, presenting evidence including Howell's detailed testimony about their affair and the coordinated actions on the night of the murders in May 1991.^[52] Key evidence against Stewart included forensic reanalysis of the crime scenes, which contradicted the initial suicide verdicts and supported Howell's account of how carbon monoxide was used to kill the victims in their respective homes.^[51] Howell testified that Stewart helped position the bodies and assisted in cleaning up evidence, describing a "blood pact" between them to keep the crimes secret.^[52] Stewart's defense maintained that she was manipulated and feared for her life, but the jury rejected these claims after a 15-day trial, finding her guilty on both murder charges by unanimous verdict on 2 March 2011.^[50] On 16 March 2011, Stewart was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years before being eligible for parole.^[4] Mr Justice Anthony Hart emphasized in his remarks that Stewart had played an active and equal role in the murders, showing no remorse and participating fully in the deception that prolonged the families' grief for nearly two decades. The judge noted the premeditated nature of the crimes and Stewart's efforts to cover them up, distinguishing her involvement from mere acquiescence.^[4]

Additional Conviction for Sexual Assaults

In 2011, Colin Howell faced charges for indecently assaulting female patients at his dental practice in Ballymoney, Northern Ireland. The allegations involved five women who had sought treatment there, with the assaults spanning from 1998 to 2008 while the victims were under sedation for dental procedures.^[53] Howell, who had maintained a long career as a dentist before his 2010 murder conviction, exploited the trust placed in him by these vulnerable patients, many of whom described feeling terrified of dental visits afterward due to the betrayal.^[54] The crimes came to light during the police investigation into Howell's 1991 murders, when he confessed to the assaults in 2009 as part of broader admissions about his actions. Prosecutors detailed how Howell would fondle the women as he assisted them to recovery rooms or place their hands on his groin while they were unconscious in the dental chair, taking advantage of the sedative effects to commit the offenses without immediate detection.^[55] One victim impact statement highlighted the profound violation, noting that Howell had been seen as a respected professional in the community, which amplified the trauma of the abuse.^[54] On May 17, 2011, at Antrim Crown Court, Howell pleaded guilty to nine counts of indecent assault involving four of the women, with additional charges left on the books to reflect the full extent of his culpability; he had initially faced 14 counts related to six complainants.^[56] The court heard that these acts represented a systematic abuse of professional authority, with the Crown barrister stating, "These were vulnerable people who placed their trust in the accused and that trust was systematically abused."^[54] Sentencing followed on May 25, 2011, with Judge Corinne Philpott imposing a term of five-and-a-half years' imprisonment, to run concurrently with Howell's life sentence for the murders. The judge acknowledged the offenses as being at the lower end of severity but emphasized Howell's repeated actions, remarking, "You knew you had a propensity to do this after you did it for the first time" and that he had the means to stop himself.^[55] Howell was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life, further tarnishing his professional legacy—he was struck off the dental register and later forfeited his NHS pension of nearly £590,000 as a result of these convictions.^[57] Victim testimonies underscored the lasting psychological impact, with several women expressing in court how the assaults shattered their sense of safety in medical settings and led to ongoing trust issues with healthcare professionals.^[54]

Recent Legal Developments

Appeals by Hazel Stewart

Hazel Stewart was convicted in March 2011 of the murders of her husband, Constable Trevor Buchanan, and Lesley Howell, receiving a life sentence with a minimum term of 18 years.^[4] She immediately applied for leave to appeal her conviction, but this was refused by the Court of Appeal in Belfast in January 2013, with a further challenge to her conviction for Lesley Howell's murder dropped at that stage.^[58] A subsequent appeal against her conviction for Trevor Buchanan's murder was dismissed in October 2015, and a 2016 review by the Criminal Cases Review Commission found no grounds to refer the case back to the courts.^[59] In December 2024, Stewart lodged a fresh application for leave to appeal her sentence, seeking an extension of time 14 years after her original sentencing.^[60] The Court of Appeal heard arguments in May 2025, where her legal team introduced new medical evidence from consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr. Duncan Harding, claiming Stewart suffered from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that rendered her vulnerable to coercive control by Colin Howell at the time of the murders in 1991.^[61] This evidence, based on retrospective analysis of prison records and reports dated June, August 2024, and May 2025, argued that her mental state reduced her culpability and warranted a lower tariff.^[62] On 25 June 2025, the Court of Appeal, comprising Lady Chief Justice Keegan, Lord Justice Treacy, and Mr Justice O’Hara, dismissed the application, refusing both leave to appeal and the time extension.^[7] The judges ruled that no substantial injustice would arise from upholding the sentence, noting that the original trial judge had already accounted for Howell's controlling influence by reducing the tariff from a potential higher baseline to 18 years, considering Stewart's secondary role.^[60] They deemed the new evidence neither credible nor timely, as it contradicted prior psychiatric assessments finding no mental illness and failed to meet the threshold for reopening a long-concluded case under residual jurisdiction principles.^[63] The court emphasized the need for finality in criminal proceedings, stating that "although not expressly labelled as ‘coercive control’ the controlling behaviour of the co-accused was part of the factual matrix at the time of the trial."^[60] The decision drew strong reactions from the victims' families, with Lesley Howell's children expressing that "nothing will bring our mum back" and describing the appeal process as adding to their ongoing trauma without providing closure.^[64] Media reports highlighted the persistent pain inflicted on relatives by Stewart's repeated legal challenges, portraying them as prolonging the families' suffering over three decades after the crimes.^[65] Stewart's lawyer indicated consideration of further avenues, such as another referral to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, but stressed her client's remorse and family support.^[66]

Potential Appeals by Colin Howell

In June 2025, reports indicated that Colin Howell was contemplating an appeal against his life sentence to seek earlier release from prison.^[67] This consideration arose in the context of related legal proceedings, with Howell reportedly viewing it as an opportunity to argue for a reduced tariff based on personal circumstances at the time of the offenses.^[67] Prison sources at HMP Maghaberry described Howell's potential strategy as centering on claims of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), stemming from psychological pressures including coerced abortions he had instructed prior to the murders, which he believes could demonstrate diminished responsibility.^[67] These arguments, potentially seeking a tariff reduction to 16-18 years, remain untested in court and draw on prior psychiatric assessments labeling him as psychotic during the relevant period, alongside his claims of repentance and good behavior in custody.^[67] As of November 2025, Howell has not formally filed an appeal, with no public records or court announcements indicating progression beyond initial discussions.^[7] He continues to serve his sentence at HMP Maghaberry, where he has been held since his 2011 conviction, under a minimum term of 21 years before eligibility for parole review.^[7] This tariff, imposed following his guilty plea to the murders, underscores the significant time remaining on his incarceration absent successful legal challenge.^[7]