Woman loses appeal to get reduction on prison term after luring dad-of-four to his death

Woman loses appeal to get reduction on prison term after luring dad-of-four to his death

20 November 2024

A WOMAN who lured a father-of-four to his death has lost a legal battle to have her prison sentence reduced.

Lesley Ann Dodds (26) encouraged Pat McCormick (55) to come to a flat in Comber where her fiancé, David Gill, lay in wait to kill him.

Mr McCormick’s body was put in a wheelie bin and dumped in a lake near Ballygowan following the murder in May 2019.

Dodds, who had been in a brief relationship with Mr McCormick, was jailed for five-and-a-half years after she admitted his manslaughter.

Her lawyers claimed in the Court of Appeal today that errors were made in reaching an excessive sentence.

But dismissing all grounds of challenge, a panel of senior judges highlighted the role played by Dodds.  

Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan said: “The undeniable facts of the case are that the applicant cajoled and persuaded the deceased to his ultimate fate.

“[She] has to be punished for her part in this.”

Mr McCormick went to the scene of his murder believing he was going to meet his mistress.

Earlier that day he had received messages from Dodds’ Facebook account, saying she had left her partner and asking him to come to her flat.

In a reply to one of the texts the victim expressed suspicions that she was setting him up for “a kicking”.

When he arrived at the property only 31 year-old Gill was present.

Mr McCormick was subjected to a brutal assault, suffering 24 rib fractures and then left to die.

Gill, of no fixed abode, returned the following day to dispose of Mr McCormick’s body in a wheelie bin.

The victim’s remains were eventually recovered six weeks later from the bottom of a fishing lake near Ballygowan.

In June last year, Gill was jailed for a minimum of 16 years after he pleaded guilty to murder.

Dodds was ordered to serve half of her term for the manslaughter of Mr McCormick in custody and the remainder on licence.

Her legal team argued that the trial judge made errors in how he dealt with aggravating and mitigating circumstances, as well as giving insufficient credit for the guilty plea.

According to the prosecution, however, it was a bad case of manslaughter where Dodds then lied to police and laid a false trail before Mr McCormick’s body was found.

“The defendant’s role was to lure and talk the deceased into going to the [flat] where he suffered the fatal attack,” Crown counsel submitted.

Ruling on the appeal, Dame Siobhan Keegan identified no flaws in the sentencing process.

She said Dodds was part of a pre-planned and premeditated attack on a victim who feared he may have been set up.   

“He ended up at the location where he thought he would be safe, but he was ultimately beaten and killed by Gill,” the Lady Chief Justice stated.

“We do not consider that the trial judge’s sentence was manifestly excessive, and so we dismiss the appeal.”