Mother of murdered Helen McCourt got the law changed to stop killers getting parole if they refuse to disclose the location of their victims - now she wants them charged for their silence

A mother who successfully campaigned to stop killers getting parole if they refuse to disclose the location of their victims is calling for them to face additional criminal offences for their silence. Marie McCourt's 22-year-old daughter Helen was abducted and brutally murdered by pub landlord Ian Simms. On the latest episode of the Daily Mail's Trial+ podcast, award-winning freelance journalist Fiona Duffy explains to host Liz Hull why Marie believes killers who fail to reveal the whereabouts of their victim's remains should face additional charges for the psychological 'torture' they inflict on families. Insurance clerk Helen, 22, was traveling back from work in Liverpool city centre to her village of Billinge, Merseyside, on February 9, 1988 but failed to arrive home. She was reported missing by her mother. Four days later police arrested Ian Simms, landlord of the local George and Dragon pub. Officers discovered traces of Helen's blood near the pub's back entrance and one of Helen's earrings in his car's boot.Simms protested his innocence, claiming someone dressed up as him, committed the murder to frame him and then stole his car to dispose of the body. He was convicted on the back of overwhelming DNA evidence. Helen McCourt (pictured), was abducted and murdered while walking home in the village of Billinge, Merseyside on February 9, 1988 Ian Simms (pictured in August 2014) was convicted in 1989 of the killing of Helen McCourt Marie McCourt in 2018 holding a photo portrait of her murdered 22-year-old daughter, HelenSpeaking on the podcast, Duffy said: 'Back then, murder convictions without a body were very rare, but DNA had just become used, and this was the first case without a body where DNA helped secure the conviction.'Mired deep in denial, Simms refused to reveal how he had disposed of Helen's body, a secret he took to his grave. 'Police have never ever found Helen's body, and that is what prompted all Marie's campaigning, even though Ian Sims was convicted,' Hull said. 'She spent years and years and years looking for Helen's body. She did all sorts, she consulted private detectives, psychics, everyone you could think of.'Following Helen's death, Marie campaigned tirelessly to prevent murderers from being granted parole if they refuse to disclose the location of a victim's remains. It was too late to stop Simms' release - he was freed in 2020 and died in 'supervised' accommodation in June 2022 aged 65.But Helen's Law, officially named the Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Act, received royal assent in 2020. The law forces the Parole Board to consider a killer's or sexual offender's refusal to reveal the location of a victim's remains when deciding on their release. Helen's Law has already seen five parole applications turned down. Glyn Razzell, 66, was jailed for life with a minimum of almost 16 years in 2003 for murdering his estranged wife Linda Razzell, whose body has never been found.The Parole Board decided in April this year that he could be released, but the Ministry of Justice applied for a reconsideration and quashed the release under Helen's Law saying they failed to consider Razzell's risk properly.However, Marie and Fiona are now campaigning for 'Helen's Law Mark II' which calls for killers who refuse to reveal their victims' locations to face additional charges for common law offences such as preventing a burial, obstructing a coroner and hiding a body. Fiona, who with Marie co-wrote the book Justice for Helen: A Mother's Quest to Find Her Murdered Daughter, said: 'It's not just the murder. This is what that a lot of the families say. It's not just the murder, it's what happens afterwards. 'And when that killer goes to extraordinary lengths to either hide or destroy the evidence of their crimes, that has untold consequences for the family Mrs McCourt (pictured in 2019), from St Helens in Merseyside, was instrumental in passing Helen's Law, which stops killers from being paroled if they refuse to reveal the location of their victims Ian Simms leaves 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 murderer who has refused for more than 30 years to disclose what he did with his victim's body was allowed out of jail on temporary releaseFiona added: 'Marie had been saying, "Why wasn't he charged with any additional offenses? It's not just the murder of my daughter. It's the fact that he hid the body, he obstructed a coroner, and he's denied us a burial." 'Now these are all common law offenses, ancient common law offenses, going back to the 12th century. 'And Marie's argument was that you know why hasn't he been charged with these? And whenever she raised them, she was told it's not in the public interest. 'You know, as far as the law is concerned, the person has been convicted of murder, which is a very serious offense, and that's it. They're serving time, and that's it. But it's not over for the family.' For the families of those left in limbo like Marie, the not-knowing can be 'torture' - with full closure impossible without a body to mourn. Fiona said: 'She just said it's torture from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed. All you are thinking about is your loved one. Where are they? Where can I find them? Where can they be? It's just relentless. 'There's no closure. We've spoken to bereavement experts, counseling experts, who all agree that grief is it's a normal part of life that you you say goodbye to a person. 'However, when you're denied the right to say goodbye to someone or to hold that burial, it produces a prolonged and severe form of pathological or complicated grief, known as persistent complex bereavement disorder. 'This is a recognized disorder, and it means that the person never ever comes to terms with what's happened. They can never move forwards with their life and look back with you know with with nice memories.'