Convicted murderer launches third appeal amidst 'coercive control' claims

Convicted double murderer Hazel Stewart will today launch a third appeal against her conviction on the basis that she was under the coercive control of her coconspirator, Colin Howell. Ms Stewart was handed a life sentence in 2011 for the murder of her husband, police officer Thomas Buchanan and Lesley Howell, the wife of her lover. The crimes, which occurred in Coleraine in 1991, were originally thought to be a double-suicide pact.

Confession of Coconspirator

However, in 2009, Colin Howell confessed to the murders and implicated Hazel Stewart, which eventually led to her conviction. A statement released by KRW Law on behalf of Ms Stewart said: "Hazel Stewart is appealing against her sentence for the double murder of her husband, Trevor Buchanan, and her former lover, Colin Howell’s wife, Lesley Howell, who were killed in May 1991. She was sentenced to life imprisonment."

Grounds for Appeal

"On Friday, 23/5/25, she will appeal to the Court of Appeal in Belfast for a third time. The appeal will proceed as an Out of Time application to Extend Time to hear the appeal against sentence. This latest application is grounded on the basis that at the time of the commission of the index offences, she was under the 'coercive control ' of Colin Howell. We, in turn, say coercive control wasn’t known about at the time of her trial in 2011, when she was convicted and sentenced. Nor had it evolved sufficiently as an issue to be raised at the time of her subsequent appeals. The court will adjudicate on a preliminary issue as to whether or not there was any delay in the applicant raising coercive control as an appeal issue before now. The outworkings of that request will determine whether or not any fresh evidence from an expert on coercive control can be adduced." For all the latest news, visit the Live homepage and sign up to our daily newsletter.