Colin Howell (born 14 March 1959) is a

Northern Irish Northern Irish people is a demonym for all people born in Northern Ireland or people who are entitled to reside in Northern Ireland without any restriction on their period of residence. Most Northern Irish people either identify as Northern ...

convicted double murderer. The murders and surrounding story were the subject of an ITV drama series '' The Secret'', broadcast in April and May 2016. Howell killed his wife Lesley (née Clarke) and the husband of his lover, Trevor Buchanan (who was an RUC officer), in what appeared to be a suicide pact between the spouses of two lovers. The bodies were found in a fume-filled car in

Castlerock Castlerock is a seaside village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is five miles west of Coleraine, and part of Causeway Coast and Glens district. It is very popular with summer tourists, with numerous apartment blocks and two caravan ...

on 19 May 1991. In 1998 Howell confessed the murders to his second wife, but she agreed not to inform the authorities. She was investigated following his arrest, but was not charged. Howell's ex-brother-in-law has since accused him of murdering Harry Clarke. Howell's father-in-law died only 11 days before Lesley. After murdering his wife, Howell received a payout of £400,000. He later lost £350,000 in a

get-rich-quick scheme A get-rich-quick scheme is a plan to obtain high rates of return for a small investment. The term "get rich quick" has been used to describe shady investments since at least the early 20th century. Most schemes create an impression that part ...

which had claimed to find

Yamashita's gold Yamashita's gold, also referred to as the Yamashita treasure, is the name given to the alleged war loot stolen in Southeast Asia by Imperial Japanese forces during World War II and supposedly hidden in caves, tunnels, or underground complexes in ...

in the Philippines. Howell had been led to believe he would make £20 million; however he only acquired a few brass ammunition boxes, containing silver coins, worth about £30. Howell initially invested £100,000 but, over six months, steadily invested more after being told that the gold was buried under

booby-trapped A booby trap is a device or setup that is intended to kill, harm or surprise a human or another animal. It is triggered by the presence or actions of the victim and sometimes has some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. The trap m ...

tunnels. He sold his shares in two dental practices and attempted to persuade friends to invest. He believed that this, and the death of his son, were punishments from God. Howell, a native of

Portadown Portadown () is a town in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The town sits on the River Bann in the north of the county, about southwest of Belfast. It is in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council area and had a population of a ...

and a dentist by occupation, was a deeply religious father of nine and a former lay preacher. He married Lesley in July 1983 and together they had four children. They were members of the local

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

church. After his wife's murder, Howell married Kyle Jorgensen, a native of New York, with whom he had five children. Howell confessed his role in the murders to elders in his church, who urged him to inform police. He pleaded guilty to the murders on 18 November 2010 and was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was told he must serve a minimum 21-year jail term. His former lover Hazel (née Elkin, formerly married to Trevor Buchanan, currently married to David Stewart) claimed in court that she acted under duress, but was found guilty of the murders of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan in March 2011 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 18 years. The trial judge stated that Hazel Stewart could have prevented Buchanan's death. Police investigators were later criticised for having overlooked some facts, most notably that the driver's window was open and that Buchanan's leg was hanging out of the open car door; in addition, a witness had told police that Howell had previously tried to murder his wife. On 17 May 2011 Howell pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting nine female patients in his surgery over a period of several years. He was consequently stripped of his

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

pension.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howell, Colin 1959 births Living people British people convicted of murdering police officers People convicted of murder by Northern Ireland People from Northern Ireland convicted of indecent assault People from Northern Ireland convicted of murder Prisoners from Northern Ireland sentenced to life imprisonment Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Northern Ireland People from Portadown

See also

References