Anyone following the Hazel Stewart murder case?

[Sinkingfeeling]

Hazel Stewart case

Yes, my auntie goes to Colin Howell's church! I used to go to his dentist's surgery too, but thankfully never met him. Its a bizarre story, isn't it? I can see them making a movie about it.

Oh, that's interesting, glasto - we have family connections with that church too. It's bizarre and shocking really, CH is coming across as supremely arrogant in all the courtroom exchanges, isn't he? What do you think the verdict will be?

OMG I couldnt believe it he was my dentist up until a few years ago when he went private. I had a lot of problems with my teeth and he was so good getting me referred so quick to a consultant. He was undoubtly a brilliant dentist, but it sends shivers down my spine now when I think of a murderer had been working in my mouth. How he was able to continue on in his career with this shocking secret all these years is beyond me.
I was totally shocked. My opinion is that Hazel Stewart is as guilty as sin and has lied all the way through her trial. Her last police interviews which were played in my opinion have sealed her fate. She could have prevented these 2 murders, saying she was scared of him is a load of crap he didnt do this on his own. She is now not taking the stand. Its not a matter if its a matter of how long she will be sentenced for

She has been found guilty. The more you read the more shocking it is. The amount of lives left devastated is awful. And she still gets all the support of her family including children and new husband. www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-12618874

And all in wee sleepy Castlerock.

Totally shocking. Can't stop thinking of all the walks I've had past the Apostles Cottages in Castlerock over the years, and those terrible events. :( Not surprised about the verdict though. IMO, she was as guilty as CH and could have prevented both murders if she'd wanted to.

They also had got away with the perfect murder - unbelievable. (but questions re the investigation by RUC)

All would have been fine if his son hadnt died and led to snowballing situation where he felt Gods wrath on him.

He has then totally taken her down.

How can her daughter and son support her when she killed their father Again unbelievable

How can husband support her? If he had been inconvenient to her he could well have been next?

They must have killed because they wanted the money - they could otheriwse have just separated and divorced.

Stuff is being written that Howells first wife had 3 abortions because they didnt want to be found out for pre marital sex. 3 abortions are a better situation? All warped from the beginning.

So sorry for all the children. How are they supposed to lead normal lives?!

Not sure about separation and divorce in the circles they moved in though, Mumfun. Crazy as it sounds, they were both of 'good standing' in the community and maybe they didn't consider divorce because it would have sullied their reputations? Obviously it all unravelled once the affair was made public. Did Hazel Stewart benefit much from her husband's death? It was amazing to see her children stand by her every day of the trial, I agree, but I guess for most of their lives she was a loving and devoted mother to them, and they must have been very shocked to hear the truth about what went on. I feel so sorry for them and for Colin Howell's (many) children.

Well she would have benefited as a widow of a policeman she probably got some kind of pension.The RUC were paid really well back in the 90s and they had fab pensions plans (its all changed now) After watching spotlight it is clear that he was a psychopath but as for her I just dont know, she is equally to blame imo.So many lives have been ruined by this, Ifeel so sorry for them too. I also feel sorry for the parents who left their children at the Sunday school and Church youth groups that they both ran.......Its hideous beyond belief.

Watched the second Spotlight(thanks didnt know about them)Wouldnt let me watch the first as Im in the wrong country

Very enlightening. Families spoke in great depth and a lot of it was heartbreaking.

Amazing though that Colin Howells American wife may have known 10 years ago and decided not to tell then for the sake of their children. Again unbelievable when you are married to a psychopath

And the circumstances of Lesley Howells fathers death now seem very suspicious. An in depth examination of any deaths close to Colin Howell would now seem to be in order. He could easily be a mass murderer

His children got across their distress and the difficulties of their personal situation very well. The only good thing is they now know their mum didnt want to leave them.

Still incredibly shocked by it all myself - can only wish the best to the families involved

Howell certainly seems to have been a serial predator against his female patients. I wonder why he was not charged with so many counts of indecent assualt until after his murder trial?

Unwind - I know some of the parties involved in the case and I am also familiar with some of the church groups referred to - not just Coleraine Baptist, but some of the others.

He drugged the femaile patients so they wouldn't know what was going on as far as I know. And there never was a murder trial for him as such because he admitted his guilt, so it was really just a sentencing.

Castlerock people said as soon as he confessed that the death of her father was suspicious.

Seems weird to me that so many people had suspicions about so many things and decided to keep their mouths shut.

At the end of the day, Hazel Buchanan's husband, as she was then, well he was a policeman, he had a gun for personal protection. All she had to do was say this man is coming to kill you and it would've been taken very seriously by the police and if she hadn't drugged Trevor Buchanan then he would've been able to defend himself.

And another thing that didn't come out in the trial is the reason his marriage to Kyle fell apart. I know the reason, and it is yet another thread to the sorry tale.

Oh and FWIW in the circles they move in, divorce is still completely and utterly unacceptable. Better to confess the "sin" and stay married.

This is Northern Ireland, it's not like the rest of the UK in some of the morals and attitudes people have!

I just don't understand how the RUC were able to say that they didn't thoroughly investigate the deaths of Lesley and Trevor at the time because 'there were sectarian murders happening every week in the early '90s'. Well, not in Coleraine and Castlerock there weren't - at least not that I remember. I do remember people saying at the time that Trevor was the least likely person ever to commit suicide and I also remember thinking how strange it was that two people who didn't have a strong personal bond would suddenly decide to end their lives together. I just can't understand how Colin and Hazel weren't troubled by their consciences every day of their lives, and how they could be kind and loving parents to their children whilst knowing they had murdered those children's other parents. How could Kyle have known all this 10 years ago and done nothing?

Sinkingfeeling - Castlerock is just such a sleepy wee village - makes me laugh every time they refer to it as a town, it's so not, it's a wee tiny village!

I agree about it being strange that they ended their lives together and I also think that it's strange that so many people reported concerns to the police and they weren't acted on.

And all these other people who said that they knew something was wrong - well why didn't they go to the police?

And as to Hazel Stewart - how could she sleep at night? Every night knowing what she did?

As to Kyle, I don't know. I just don't know.

Seems like there was a whole conspiracy in the churches involved to keep it quiet and keep it all within the church and under wraps

But then the mentality of those type of fundamentalist born again Christians is just odd as anything. The 11th commandment is thou shalt not get caught you know

I just don't know and I think some of it we will never know.

Itisnotgoingwell - yes, I grew up very close to Castlerock. It's certainly not a town, but it's grown a fair bit since I was a child. All those executive flats with sea views, where the library and swimming pool used to be, lots of second homes I guess.

I agree with you about it seeming that lots of people had suspicions at the time, yet nothing was done. Unbelievable. Definitely a tight-knit community but tight enough to shield a murderer for years and years? Very strange indeed.

Sinkingfeeling - the church community they were involved with, including some of the "fellowship" congregations are very close though. They don't really approve of socializing outside of the "church".

Yeah, shame they couldn't build the flats properly and killed two wee boys as well

itisnotgoingwelltoday - but the patients he was eventually charged with assaulting must have known, otherwise they couldn't have reported it at all

either they reported it before he admitted to the murders, and there was a failure to properly investigate it (despite the number of victims)

OR

the women he assaulted did not dare to complain until he had already been publicly disgraced

either way, it is very scary

At least one of the women had reported it and wasn't believed.

I know that for a fact.

And another who came forward once the first came to light had suspicions, she thought she knew what had happened but because she had been drugged she thought it was all in her head.

Like the use of date rape drugs I suppose?

FWIW he also had other affairs that haven't been widely known

I'm surprised there has not been more publicity around the assaults on dental patients.

I did not even know that dentists had access to those kind of drugs.

What about the reason Kyle snapped and chucked him out? That hasn't been mentioned!

I can only assume that Colin was having affairs during his marriage to Kyle and that she found out about them, or one of them, and chucked him out? Don't know though. Didn't they have four or five children together? More children growing up with the shadow of what their father did looming over them. So sad.

Not just affairs Sinking.

There are other children.

Seems there's no end to all the twists and turns of this story.

oh dear. I agree. It feels there is much more still to come out

I don't think it honestly ever will all come out.

AFAIK some of women who worked for him in the surgery were complicit in what he was doing in terms of sexually assaulting patients.

That I have only heard 2nd hand though.

What I do know for certain is that just prior to the Christmas, Kyle and Howell had had a baby who was only weeks old and one of the very young girls who worked at the surgery with him turned up at the door of the house and told Kyle that she was pregnant and Howell was the father.