A murder victim’s mother who fought for a change in the law over killers who fail to reveal vital information is made an MBE.
Backed by an award-winning Mirror campaign, Marie McCourt spearheaded Helen’s Law after her 22-year- old daughter vanished near their home in St Helens, Merseyside, in 1988.
Local pub landlord Ian Simms was jailed for her murder but would never say where he hid the body.
He was released in 2020 and died earlier this year.
Marie’s campaign led to the Prisoners (Disclosure of Information About Victims) Act being enacted in 2021.
It makes it harder for killers and paedophiles who hold back information on victims to receive parole.
Told of her award, Marie, 79, said: “I couldn’t believe it.
“Helen would be so delighted that other families may not have to go through what we’ve had to go through.”
She added: “It gives families a support knowing that Helen’s Law is there and now we’re getting the proper parole hearings.”
Under the legislation, killers can still be released even if they refuse to disclose information.
But the Parole Board is legally required to consider whether they have cooperated with inquiries as part of their assessment.
Simms, who always maintained his innocence, was handed a life sentence in 1989 after being convicted on overwhelming DNA evidence of Helen’s abduction and murder.
