Man jailed for minimum of 24 years for murdering friend and dumping body

A man who murdered another man and then dismembered and dumped his body in a reservoir in Co Tyrone has been sentenced to a minimum of 24 years.

Stephen McCourt, 41, from Riverview in Augher, Co Tyrone, was found guilty of murdering Damien Heagney after a trial which ended in April this year.

Mr Heagney, 47, from Cookstown, was last seen alive at the end of December 2021.

He was reported missing in July 2022 and, the following month, his partially dismembered remains were recovered from Cappagh Reservoir.

In a statement, Mr Heagney’s family said the actions that followed his death were “depraved”, adding that the last few years have been “torturous” for them.

The police and prosecution service both described the murder as “callous”.

Mr Justice Stephen Fowler told Belfast Crown Court that the dismemberment of his body was “callous in the extreme” and added greatly to the distress of his family, in particular his mother.

He also said that the disposal of Mr Heagney’s body in the reservoir was an additional step taken to “conceal, destroy evidence, cover the murder and subvert police investigation”.

“I’m satisfied to the required standard that Mr Heagney’s death was the result of a vicious attack with a knife, including numerous blows to one of the most vulnerable parts of the body, the head,” Mr Justice Fowler added.

“It involved a number of injuries to the head, including the tip of the knife breaking off and lodging in the skull.

“I’m also satisfied that, as a compelling influence from consideration of the totality of the evidence, including that it was reasonable to be inferred that the knife wounds were also sustained in the deceased’s arm and the deceased died from the attack by the defendant.

“I consider it to be a case of multiple stabbing.

“I consider this to be a case of high culpability, the starting point of 20 years. I also find the following aggravating factors to be present.”

He cited the issues around the dismemberment and disposal of the body as aggravating factors in the case.

He added that further aggravating factors were the defendant’s criminal record.

“His previous convictions for wounding with intent and his two previous findings of dangerousness,” Mr Justice Fowler added.

“He has failed to respond to previous sentences and intervention.

“A pre-sentence report was received from the Probation Service and, surprisingly, the report concludes that the defendant poses a significant risk of serious harm, given the myriad of risk factors and absence of any significant protective factors.

“In terms of mitigation, the only matter in relation to the offending I can identify is that there is no evidence this attack was premeditated or planned, given text messages between the two men.

“However, I see no personal mitigation in this case.

“Having identified the aggravating factors, I consider an uplift of five years in sentences merited, which is tempered by a modest degree of mitigation, which will be reflected in a reduction of one year.

“Looking at what is the appropriate tariff in this case, I come to the conclusion that the tariff that is appropriate to the circumstances of this case will be 24 years.

“This is equivalent of a prison sentence of 48 years.”

In a statement, Mr Heagney’s family said: “The last few years have been torturous for our family.

“No-one should ever have to deal with the heartache of losing a son and a brother, yet we have to wake up every single morning knowing that Damien was murdered.

“Damien’s life was taken so cruelly, and the actions that followed were depraved – more than we can ever begin to express.

“It’s actually impossible to stop thinking about what happened to Damien. We go over it, again and again, and it haunts us.

“Yet, among the torment, we’ve each taken comfort from the genuine kindness and support shown by others.

“We would like to thank the jury who put in so much time and effort, listening to all the evidence to bring back a guilty verdict, especially in such a difficult case. We will always be grateful to them.”

A senior Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer said the murder of Mr Heagney was the “most senseless loss of a life”.

Speaking following the sentencing of Stephen McCourt for his murder, Detective Superintendent Rachel Wilson said: “While the exact cause of Mr Heagney’s death has never been determined due to the decomposition of his remains, the post-mortem did identify possible stab wounds to his head, neck, arms and legs.

“This was the most senseless loss of a life.

“It was a murder made even more disturbing by the way in which Mr Heagney’s body was subsequently dismembered, concealed in a number of packages, and ultimately disposed of in a reservoir.

“These actions were callous, cruel and brutal beyond comprehension.

“Today, working in partnership with the Public Prosecution Service and thanks to the support of NI Water, internal police teams and members of the public, Stephen McCourt has finally been held accountable.

“I know that Damien’s loving family have understandably been left broken-hearted, and my thoughts remain with them today.

“They have suffered unimaginably, yet have managed to show remarkable dignity and patience throughout this entire process.”

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) described the murder as “horrendous and violent”.

Head of the PPS Serious Crime Unit Catherine Kierans said: “This brutal murder took place in early January 2022 and afterwards McCourt callously dismembered and disposed of Mr Heagney’s body in a reservoir.

“This was a strong circumstantial case with various strands of evidence.

“The prosecution team in the PPS Serious Crime Unit worked closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, who carried out a full investigation, to bring McCourt before the court and build a robust case against him, which resulted in the jury delivering a guilty verdict.”

Ms Kierans added: “McCourt has now been held accountable for the horrendous and violent murder of Damien Heagney. I want to commend Mr Heagney’s family for their bravery and dignity. He was a much-loved son who is missed terribly by everyone who knew him.

“I hope the conclusion of this case will help his family and friends to move forward with their lives, as they try to come to terms with his death.”