The picture of Helen McCourt, posed side-on with her blue eyes innocently turned towards the camera, is one that has been burned into the collective memory of Merseyside.
It has been 34 years since the 22-year-old from St Helens was murdered by pub landlord Ian Simms. The terrible case broke fresh ground in the British legal system, being a rare example of a murder conviction being obtained without the discovery of a body.
Simms never revealed where he disposed of Helen's body. He was released on licence in February 2020, and died two years later, taking the final resting place of the innocent young insurance clerk to his grave.
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The murder of Helen McCourt
Helen McCourt disappeared on February 9, 1988 in Billinge, St Helens, shortly after getting off a bus less than 500 yards from her home at around 5.15pm. Within minutes, a passer-by reported hearing a loud scream coming from the George and Dragon pub, which was located on the route from the bus stop to Helen's house.
Suspicion soon fell on the pub's landlord Ian Simms. The married father of two had been overheard ranting about his hatred of Helen just two days before she disappeared, after he barred her from the pub following an argument with another woman there. He had reportedly made sexual advances towards her, which she rejected, and believed she knew about his ongoing affair with a 21-year-old woman, who he had moved into the pub flat behind his wife's back.
Police became increasingly suspicious when, upon being questioned about Helen's disappearance, Simms became visibly nervous. Evidence began to build up: traces of Helen's blood were found in the boot of his car, along with with an opal and pearl earring Helen's mum, Marie McCourt, identified as her daughter's. In Simms' flat, police found further traces of Helen's blood on the bedroom carpet, wallpaper, and on the outside door, where they believed Helen was first attacked.
When Helen's handbag and clothes were found in a black bin bag washed up on a riverbank in Irlam in March, a cotton jacket belonging to Simms was found with them. Fibres from the carpets of Simms's flat were found on Helen's clothes, indicating she was dragged upstairs after being struck down. The bin bag also contained some electrical wire with strands of Helen's hair on it and bite marks that were matched to Simms' Rottweiler.
More clothes stained with Helen's blood, including a jumper with the Labbatt brand beer logo, were found on the bank of the Manchester Ship Canal in Warrington. These were shown to Simms' wife and mistress, who both confirmed they belonged to him.
Despite the lack of a body - and Simms stubbornly asserting his innocence - the mountain of forensic evidence could not be overlooked. He was arrested and charged with Helen's murder. In 1989, following a difficult trial, he became one of the first criminals ever to be convicted using DNA evidence without the victim's body being found.
Helen's Law
In the aftermath of her daughter's death, Marie McCourt devoted herself to fighting for better support for families and friends of murder victims. In 2015, she launched the campaign for Helen's Law, which would prohibit the release of convicted killers from prison if they refused to reveal the location of their victim's body. The campaign gathered national support, with more than 700,000 people signing a petition pushing for a change in the law.
After years of tireless efforts, the Prisoners Disclosure of Information About Victims Act was officially written into UK law after receiving Royal Assent in November 2020. This means that the parole board has a legal duty to consider the anguish caused to victims' families by murderers who refuse to reveal the location of their remains.
Tragically, this good news came too late for Helen's family. Simms was released in February 2020, just a few months before the change they had fought so hard for came into effect.
Two years later, he died in supervised accommodation at the age of 66, having never revealed where or how he disposed of Helen's body.
When the the law was passed, Marie's husband John Sandwell said: "We are so relieved after five years - it has been a long old fight and very difficult times with the amount of obstacles we have had to go through.
"But we stuck with it and with the support of people like the press and the Commons and the Lords, we finally we have got there, we are delighted.
"We were hoping that the new law would have caught Simms before he walked but it came just too late.
"It causes a lot of frustration and heartache but we never gave up.
"At least it's going to be able to help other families and it will be a legacy for Helen. It's a law that will help an awful lot of families in the future."
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