James Nesbitt’s 2016 series The Secret has landed on Netflix, and many viewers are coming across the horrifying story for the first time.
The crime drama – originally broadcast on ITV – is based on the real-life double murder of Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan at the hands of their respective spouses, Colin Howell and Hazel Stewart.
Nesbitt portrays the dentist in the four-part drama, which closely follows journalist Deric Henderson’s account of the crime, Let This Be Our Secret,
Back in 2016, Lesley and Colin’s daughter Lauren Bradford criticised The Secret for “exploiting a tragedy”. Writing in The Guardian, she said: “The character of my mum… is depicted as no more than a down-trodden housewife. It fails to capture her ambition and drive, her wicked sense of humour, her thoughtfulness and warmth.”
In response, ITV said in a statement: “The programme makers informed the families of the production, and gave them the opportunity to see the series prior to broadcast. We have never suggested that they approved or authorised the drama. We do believe that we have conducted the making and broadcast of this series responsibly, in seeking to minimise distress to family members, in so far as we were able to do so, given the subject matter.”
But who exactly were Colin and Hazel and where are they now? Here’s everything you need to know.
Who was Colin Howell from Netflix’s The Secret?
Colin Howell was a respected dentist, Sunday school teacher and pillar of the local community in Castlerock, Londonderry in Northern Ireland, or so it seemed.
The dentist murdered his first wife in cold blood, along with the husband of his lover, Hazel, in 1991.
Colin pleaded guilty to the crimes in 2010, and was given a minimum 21-year sentence.
He is also serving a separate sentence for indecently assaulting five female patients while they were under sedation at his dental surgery in Ballymoney, Co Antrim, over a 10-year period from 1998 to 2008.
Where is Colin Howell now?
As of today, Colin Howell is still alive and is currently serving a prison sentence for the double murder.
However, it was almost two decades later before Colin’s crime actually came to light.
The former dentist confessed the killings to a church pastor in 2009, before he was found guilty of the crime in 2010.
He is currently serving a 21-year sentence in Maghaberry Prison in Northern Ireland, meaning he could be due for release in 2031.
Where is Hazel Stewart from The Secret now?
The same fate befell Colin’s partner in crime, Hazel, who is also still serving her prison sentence.
She was convicted of double murder in 2011 and sentenced to 18 years at Hydebank Prison in Belfast.
After being convicted himself, Colin implicated Hazel and gave evidence at her trial, claiming she had been his willing accomplice.
However, to this day, Hazel protests her innocence, claiming Colin was the mastermind behind the crime and had manipulated her throughout their affair.
Since being convicted, she has failed in a series of attempts to have the verdicts overturned.
How did Lesley Howell and Trevor Buchanan die?
In May 1991, Colin gassed his wife Lesley and stashed her body in the boot of his car.
He then headed to Hazel and Trevor Buchanan’s home, where he suffocated him.
The two bodies were then positioned in the vehicle filled with carbon monoxide fumes.
It appeared to be an open-and-shut case to the police – an apparent joint suicide pact involving two people who had found out about their respective partners’ affairs. But, as detailed above, the truth was very different.
The Secret is available to watch now on Netflix. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide to see what’s on tonight.
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