A dentist has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to the murders of his wife and the policeman husband of his ex-lover almost 20 years ago.
Dr Colin Howell (51), from Castlerock, Co Derry, who has denied the two charges since his arrest last year, changed his plea when he appeared in the dock at Belfast Crown Court.
He admitted murdering his wife and mother-of-four Lesley (31) and Constable Trevor Buchanan (32), whose bodies were discovered in a car filled with carbon monoxide fumes in May 1991.
At the time it was believed the pair had taken their own lives because of their depression over an affair between Howell and the police officer’s wife Hazel. But detectives re-opened the investigation in January last year when they interviewed Howell about the deaths.
His former lover, mother-of-two Hazel Stewart (47), from Ballystrone Road, Coleraine - she later remarried - is due to stand trial next week charged with the two murders.
Howell was told in court he would be jailed for life with his minimum to be determined at a later hearing.
PA