A man who murdered a love rival before disposing of his body in a wheelie bin dumped in a lake has been jailed for at least 16 years.
Father-of-four Pat McCormick, 55, was lured to his death, where he thought he was going to meet 30-year-old David Gill’s fiancee Lesley Ann Dodds, 25, with whom the victim had a brief relationship.
Messages sent from Dodds’ Facebook account encouraged Mr McCormick to meet her at her flat in Comber, County Down, on the evening of 30 May 2019.
But Gill was lying in wait and attacked Mr McCormick, who suffered 24 rib fractures and was left to die.
Gill returned the following day and put the victim’s body in a stolen black wheelie bin, which was eventually recovered six weeks later in a fishing lake in Ballygowan, Co Down, by police divers.
The bin had been secured with straps and weighted down with concrete blocks, so it had sunk to the bottom.
Mr Justice Scoffield sentenced Gill, of no fixed address, to a life sentence, with a minimum term of 16 years at Belfast Crown Court on Thursday.
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Dodds, from Queen Victoria Gardens, in Belfast, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years after admitting manslaughter, with half to be served in custody.
The judge referred to victim impact statements provided to the court by Mr McCormick’s family, including his children, the youngest of whom were aged 14 and 12 at the time of his murder, as “heartbreaking”.
“These statements paint a picture of Mr McCormick as a man who was devoted to his family – friendly, thoughtful, gentle and caring,” he said.
“Mr McCormick was subjected to a brutal and sustained assault which was intended to and did cause him really serious harm to such an extent that he was left fighting for his life.”
Turning to Dodds, the judge said: “I have no doubt whatsoever that Dodds played her part in luring Mr McCormick to her flat knowing that he would come to harm there.”
Three other men who had admitted withholding information in relation to Mr McCormick’s killing were also sentenced.
William Gill, 43, from Terrace View in Waringstown, Andrew Leslie, 24, from Mourne Crescent in Moneyrea, and Jonathon Richard Leslie Montgomery, 24, from Castle Espie Road in Comber, were all given suspended sentences.
Speaking after sentencing, PSNI Detective Inspector Jennifer Rea said the family of Mr McCormick had been put through a “torturous and prolonged nightmare”.
She added: “Of course, their sadness doesn’t end today. It’s over four years on now and their heartache understandably remains.”
Ms Rea continued: “David Gill and Lesley Ann Dodds had initially denied any involvement in Pat’s disappearance and murder.
“The reality is that both played a part in luring Pat to the home of Lesley Ann Dodds.
“However, instead of meeting Ms Dodds as expected, David Gill was lying in wait to carry out this brutal attack.
“Today, thanks to our dedicated team and working in partnership with our colleagues in the Public Prosecution Service, the defendants have been held accountable for their actions. Actions that were planned, cowardly and irreversible.
“My thoughts are first and foremost with Pat’s family and loved ones.”
