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Ian Simms never revealed what he did with the 22-year-old’s body after he snatched her from the street in 1988.

The former pub landlord’s cruel silence prompted the girl’s mother Marie to campaign for Helen’s Law so murderers can be kept in jail unless they disclose the locations of their victim’s remains.

Mrs McCourt won her battle – but the law change came too late to keep Simms in jail.

And all hope of finding Helen and giving her a proper burial has gone after the 65-year-old fiend collapsed and died at the weekend.

The cause of death has not been released.

Mrs McCourt, 78, said earlier this year: “I still long, more than anything, to find my daughter and give her the funeral she deserves.

“I would urge Simms, to do the decent thing and tell me where I can find her. But a lasting legacy in Helen’s name, ensuring she will never, ever, be forgotten, has brought me some comfort in later years.” Helen’s law, called the Prisoners (Disclosure Of Information About Victims) Act, gained royal assent in November 2020.

Insurance clerk Helen was walking to her home in Billinge, Merseyside when Simms abducted her. He was jailed for life at Liverpool Crown Court in 1989.

Despite overwhelming evidence, he showed no remorse and always protested his innocence. He was released in February 2020.

Parole Board officials considered Simms’s refusal to reveal where he put Helen’s body but they concluded there was “no prospect of him ever disclosing the whereabouts even if kept in prison until he died”.

Helen’s Law does not automatically block the release of killers who fail to divulge victim details but they are more likely to be freed if they do.

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