THE 'THOROUGHLY EVIL' DAD WHO GROOMED HIS TEENAGE SONS TO KILL THEIR MUM WHILE HE WAS OUT PLAYING DARTS
The nation was shocked by a particularly violent murder that drew widespread attention.Eve Howells, a mother, wife, and teacher at Newsome High School, was found dead at her home in Dalton, Huddersfield after a brutal hammer assault.
Her husband, David Howells, initially appeared in a police briefing appealing for help in capturing her killer.
Nevertheless, subsequent investigations uncovered his involvement in a plot to murder Eve, with evidence suggesting his fake display of sorrow was insincere.
It emerged that David had convinced his sons to carry out the killing, ensuring he was away at the time by playing darts at a pub in Crosland Moor, giving him a strong alibi.
The jury determined that he was the primary instigator of the murder scheme.
Prosecutors detailed that in August 1995, Howells planned with his sons to murder their mother, a schoolteacher, while he was playing an away game with his darts team.
At 15, Glenn murdered his mother by striking her head at least 12 times with a hammer while she was sitting in the living room, covering an envelope.
His brother John, only 14, helped hide the evidence by getting rid of the weapon and clothing involved.
The boys also attempted to simulate a burglary, overturning a bureau and claiming that £100 had been stolen.
Police, however, dismissed their story and covertly recorded conversations between Glenn, John, and David, which exposed their involvement and suggested that David could benefit financially from his wife’s demise.
This case may have been the first recorded instance of a man conspiring with his two sons to murder his wife.
David Howells was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1997, despite denying any role in the crime.
The trial judge, Mr.
Justice Alliott, made it clear that David was the mastermind, describing him as a highly corrupt individual who manipulated his children into the act.
He criticized Howells for grooming his sons over months or years and for orchestrating the murder while remaining outside suspicion.
The judge further condemned the act as particularly vile, noting that Eve, despite her faults, did not deserve such a violent death.
Testimony indicated she had engaged in prolonged emotional abuse of her sons, kept a strict hold on family finances, and was involved in an extramarital affair with a friend of her husband, Russell Hirst.
While incarcerated, Glenn continued to deny involvement with his father and brother, but acknowledged that he felt he had no alternative to stop the abuse.
In 2002, the sentences of the brothers were reduced following a review by Lord Woolf, the Lord Chief Justice, with Glenn’s sentence decreasing from ten to nine years and John’s from seven to six and a half.
The judge acknowledged that John had a lesser role and was influenced by his father and brother, with his sentence adjusted accordingly.
