Helen McCourt’s mother has described the death of her daughter’s killer, two years after he was released from prison, as a “great relief”.
Marie McCourt has said she now hopes someone with ties to murderer Ian Simms will come forward and reveal where he hid her daughter’s body after she went missing in Merseyside in 1988.
The insurance officer was walking home from work in Billinge, Merseyside, when Simms, a bar owner, murdered the 22-year-old.
Simms, 65, a former pub owner, died last week in ‘guarded’ accommodation and it is clear that a cause of death has not yet been given.
Ms McCourt from St Helens in Merseyside told The Mirror: ‘It is a great relief to know that this man has finally been wiped off this earth.
“He got what he deserved. I hope that perhaps he has now spoken to someone in prison or that one of his friends or family who may have been too afraid to come forward when he was alive will now.”
It comes after years of campaigning by Ms McCourt for legislation called Helen’s Law – supported by the Mail – to force probation officers to consider a murderer failing to reveal where their victim’s body is before being arrested. released.
She couldn’t take advantage of the law and lived in fear when he was released from prison in 2020 with a tag on.
Marie McCourt, Helen McCourt’s mother (pictured, victim), has said she now hopes someone with ties to murderer Ian Simms will come forward and reveal where he hid her body after his death.
Reports say Ian Simms (pictured in August 2014) passed away last week and it’s clear no cause of death has been given yet
Ms McCourt (pictured), from St Helens in Merseyside, said: ‘It is a great relief to know that this man has finally been wiped off this earth’
Simms was married, 31, and father of two when he ran the George and Dragon pub before Helen of Bootle disappeared on her way home from work in 1988 and whose body has never been found.
He was sentenced to life in prison in 1989 after being convicted by a jury on overwhelming DNA evidence of Mrs. McCourt’s kidnapping and murder.
Since his 1989 conviction, Simms has shown no remorse, steadfastly refusing to reveal what he had done with the insurance clerk’s remains.
Marie McCourt said Simms passed away on Friday and was told that during the day yesterday and later confirmed by the Justice Department.
She said last night, “I’m praying now that someone may have details of where he said he did it.
“It breaks my heart, but not just mine, but all the families whose loved ones have been kidnapped.
“It’s hard to lose a child to illness, it’s worse when someone deliberately takes her life.”
After his release, Simms couldn’t get within 50 miles of her hometown, but Ms. McCourt is said to have “sleepless nights” and worry that he’s “veiling” to where she lives.
The 78-year-old also spoke of how she searches an area in the northwest that also has a similar clay to what was found in Simms’ car and on his jeans and boots.
And Ms. McCourt added that she will continue to search for her daughter’s body.
Simms was told he would spend at least 16 years and one day behind bars.
He was eligible for release in February 2004.
Ms McCourt previously said she was “in shock” at the decision to consider Simms’ release.
The summary of the original probation statement said Simms was considered fit for release due to, among other things, the “significant change in his behaviour.”
The decision to release him was subject to a number of conditions, including living at a designated address, wearing a tagging device to verify his whereabouts, observing a curfew and avoiding any contact with his victim’s family. .
In the meantime, Simms was given a parole hearing and the judges agreed he could go free.
They claimed that Simms was low-risk, despite agreeing that he would probably never reveal what he had done with Miss McCourt’s remains, because during his three decades he believed within himself that he was innocent. is.
Marie McCourt with a photo portrait of her murdered 22-year-old daughter, Helen
Ian Simms exits The George and Dragon pub in Billinge under police guard after Helen’s disappearance in 1988
Ian Simms at St Helen’s Magistrates Court. The killer who has refused to reveal what he did to his victim’s body for more than 30 years was allowed to be released from prison on temporary release
Ms McCourt said the probation logic was wrong and her argument proved Simms was a “psychopath.”
She also quoted a threatening letter he wrote to her from prison in 1991, in which he threatened her family and vowed to get “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” and “justice” for himself once he was released.
In September 2020, two judges ruled against her after hearing Ms McCourt’s request for judicial review before a virtual Supreme Court in July, saying the probation officer’s decision “was without demonstrable public law error.”
The case is a rare example of a murder conviction being obtained without the presence of a body, and was one of the first in the UK to use DNA fingerprinting.
In a written ruling, the judges said: “The panel was well aware of the sensitivities in this matter and took a careful and balanced approach to both the procedure to follow and the assessment of Simms’ current risk.”
Tom Little QC, representing Ms McCourt, told the court that this decision was “unreasonable” and had asked the judges to quash it.
“He must have known, and still knows, the location of Helen’s body. Despite this, he has been refusing to reveal this for more than three decades,” he said at the time.
Ms McCourt’s campaign after her daughter’s death led to the Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Act, called Helen’s Law, coming into effect in 2021.
The law makes it more difficult for murderers and pedophiles who withhold information about their victims to receive parole.
Under the law, killers can still be released if they are no longer considered a risk to the public, even if they refuse to release information.