Pat McCormick: David Gill jailed for body-in-bin murder

Father-of-four Pat McCormick was described as a gentle man who was the victim of a brutal and sustained assault

A man who murdered a County Down father of four, disposed of his body in a wheelie bin and dumped it in a lake must serve at least 16 years in prison before being considered for release.

Pat McCormick's body was discovered near Ballygowan six weeks after he was last seen on CCTV in Comber.

David Gill, 30, of no fixed abode, was sentenced on Thursday after admitting the murder of the 55-year-old.

Five people were sentenced in connection with Mr McCormick's murder.

Speaking to media gathered outside the court in Belfast afterwards, Mr McCormick's 18-year-old daughter Morgan paid tribute to her dad.

"We've been stripped of our father," she said.

"My dad will never get to see any of us grow up or get married. He'll never get to hold his future grandkids.

"We leave here today with memories of our dad who has been taken from us. However those memories are filled with love and happiness, and they're memories that we'll all hold on to forever."

'Brutal and sustained assault'

Mr McCormick was lured to a flat in Comber on the evening of 30 May 2019.

The 55-year-old believed he was going to meet Gill's fiancée Lesley Ann Dodds, with whom he had had a brief relationship.

Dodds, 25, from Queen Victoria Gardens in Belfast, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years after admitting manslaughter, with half of that term to be served in prison.

Mr McCormick had received messages from Dodds' Facebook account, saying she had left Gill and asking him to come to her flat.

Instead, when Mr McCormick arrived, only Gill was at the flat.

The judge at Belfast Crown Court said Mr McCormick had been the victim of a "brutal and sustained assault".

The court heard his cause of death was 24 rib fractures due to blunt force trauma.

Mr McCormick was described in court as being "devoted to his family, thoughtful, gentle and caring".

Three other men admitted withholding information in relation to Mr McCormick's murder.

William Gill, 43, from Terrace View in Waringstown, who is Dodds' brother, was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years.

The other men - Andrew Leslie, 24, from Mourne Crescent in Moneyrea, and Jonathon Richard Leslie Montgomery, 24, from Castle Espie Road, Comber - were sentenced to 15 months, suspended for two years.

Addressing the three men, the judge said their actions had left "a stain on your character in this gruesome and sorry affair".

'Nightmare for loving family'

Morgan McCormick said "no amount of jail time will ever bring our dad back" but said today is "the start of justice for me, my brothers, my sister, my mum, my dad's friends and family".

Speaking after the sentences were issued, Det Insp Jennifer Rea said her thoughts were with Mr McCormick's family.

"Those weeks of waiting, wondering and hoping were a torturous and prolonged nightmare for a loving family and, of course, their sadness doesn't end today," she said.

"It's over four years on now and their heartache understandably remains."

Ms Rea said Gill and Dodds had been held accountable for their actions "that were planned, cowardly and irreversible".

The senior officer thanked members of the public in Comber and nearby areas for their support during the murder investigation.