Disclaimer: This article contains mentions of murder and assault. Reader discretion is advised.
In November 2019, the Guardian reported that Ian Simms, the man convicted of Helen McCourt’s murder, was to be released from prison after serving 31 years behind bars. He was released in 2020 and was reported dead in June 2022 at the age of 66, according to Wigan Today. Helen’s mother, Marie McCourt expressed hope that someone of Simms’ friends and family might come forward to reveal where he buried Helen as he is now dead.
Ever since the court’s decision to release Ian Simms was made public, Marie McCourt has fought for the court to consider whether murderers have revealed the whereabouts of the victims’ remains when releasing them on parole. Over the three decades when Ian Simms was behind bars, he denied guilt. He also did not reveal where Helen McCourt’s remains were. Even upon his release in 2020, there was no information from his end.
Sky News reported that Marie McCourt campaigned for the Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Act. It later came to be known as Helen’s Law. She argued that it was unfair to let convicted murderers free without compelling them to reveal information about the victim’s whereabouts. The law was reportedly enacted in 2021.
Helen McCourt was a 22-year-old British insurance clerk who disappeared on her way home from work in 1988. She lived in Merseyside and was reported missing by her mother. The police investigated and found out that Helen McCourt was killed after she vanished that day.
How was Ian Simms caught?
As soon as Helen McCourt was reported missing, authorities searched the area near her home in Merseyside. Only a few meters away from her residence, was George and Dragon on Main Street. Ian Simms worked as the pub landlord there. He soon became the primary suspect in the case and his home and car were searched. Although Helen McCourt’s remains were never found, he was found guilty based on overwhelming DNA evidence, Wigan Today reported.
According to court documents, forensic evidence suggested that he strangled her with a ligature. He reportedly lied about his whereabouts at the time of the crime. He also gave false reasons behind certain injuries he had on him at the time. This made authorities even more suspicious. Ian Simms received a life sentence and was to serve a minimum sentence of 16 years and one day. He also attempted to appeal his conviction but failed.
In 2019, the court decided that the risk posed by Ian Simms’ release would not be too high. This was because of the fact that his behavior towards the later part of his sentence was considerably better. Although his motive and reason behind the murder remained unknown due to his repeated denials, several psychiatrists had studied the case and suggested that the risk he posed would be minimized. Additionally, no offense-related activity was carried out by him during his time in prison.
Ian Simms stuck to his statement that he was innocent till the very end and the search for the location where Helen McCourt was buried, continues.
