Colin Howell, a convicted double murderer, refuted allegations of possessing child pornography on his computer, despite previously confessing to killing his wife and her husband. The disturbing images were discovered on a computer found in a caravan where Howell resided. He had orchestrated the murders of his wife Lesley and her husband Trevor Buchanan, both 32 years old at the time of their deaths, before confessing to the police.
The child abuse images were unearthed on January 30, 2009, over 17 years after the double homicide. During police questioning, Howell, now 67, was confronted with pictures of young children around seven years old found on the computer by investigators.
A report by BelfastLive detailed the revelations from a documentary titled “Confessions Of A Killer,” featuring original audio recordings from extensive police interviews regarding the tragic murders of Lesley and Trevor in 1991.
Howell’s admission of guilt triggered a fresh investigation leading to his conviction, as well as the subsequent conviction of his accomplice Hazel Stewart, now 62. Both are currently serving life sentences in prison.
In addition to the murder charges, Howell was convicted in 2011 of sexually assaulting five female patients at his dental practice, resulting in an additional prison sentence of five and a half years. He was also placed on the Sex Offenders Register for life.
Despite the discovery of the incriminating images on a computer labeled as Police Item DS1, Howell was never prosecuted in connection with them. The computer where the images were found had been located in the caravan he moved into after his American wife, Kyle Jorgensen, discovered his extramarital affair with a dental nurse. The PSNI seized the technology as part of the investigation into Howell’s double murder case.
Recently, the exchange between the PSNI lead investigator and Colin Howell during an interview regarding the child pornography photos was disclosed. Howell denied any prior knowledge or access to such material, emphasizing that the images found were not associated with him.
The documentary “Confessions Of A Killer” was produced by Below The Radar Television with support from Northern Ireland Screen. Both episodes will premiere on Tuesday, January 20, at 6 am on BBC iPlayer, with the first episode airing that evening on BBC One NI at 9 pm. It will also be broadcast on Sunday, January 25, on BBC Two at 9 pm.
