The grieving mum of Helen McCourt said she "could have forgiven" her daughter's killer if he was regretful.
Pub landlord Ian Simms was jailed for life, with a minimum term of 16 years in prison, for the murder of 22-year-old Helen in February 1988. Simms strangled Helen as she walked home from work in Billinge but never revealed where her body is.
In an exclusive interview with Yours Magazine, Marie spoke about her grief as Simms died, taking Helen's resting place to the grave.
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She said: “Maybe I could have forgiven him - if he’d shown compassion. But you can’t forgive somebody if they are not regretful. And he wasn’t.”
She also described her first reaction to hearing the news Ian Simms was dead, saying she prayed he was in hell. She added: “It was the best news ever.
"There was no champagne celebration or anything because I wouldn’t waste the money on him. But I won’t be praying for his soul either. Actually I prayed he was in hell.”
Marie, 79, still regularly searches scrubland in and around St Helens, in a desperate search for her daughter’s remains and when the Yours Magazine interviewer visited, her legs were red raw from stinging nettles. She still desperately wishes to find her daughter’s body in the hope of giving her the Christian funeral that means so much to her.
She said “My wellies are never far away. I would still love nothing more than to lay Helen to rest in the churchyard and place flowers on her grave. I will find Helen again, if not on this earth then the next one.
"If I drop dead tomorrow, I just hope our Helen will be there to catch me."
Her age, knee problems and osteoarthritis in her wrists are all reminders that time isn’t on her side and she’s hoping Simms will have confided in someone who will now come forward. Despite all, her hope, like her Catholic faith, is as strong as ever.
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