Axeman to appeal his sentence

Sunday 01 March 2015

An addict serving 25 years behind bars for the brutal murder of a drug dealer is appealing his sentence.

Darren McCormick (36) was given life and told he would serve at least 25 years after a brutal attack on Colin Chevalier last year.

But McCormick, who is currently at HMP La Moye, has now applied for leave to appeal. The grounds for his appeal are not yet public, but the appeal is likely to be heard in May.

The attack took place in the early evening of 5 April at Mr Chevalier’s cottage in Duhamel Place. McCormick had arrived there – in the middle of what his lawyer called "a five-day bender" – and took Ethylphenidate, or “crystals”, while two other men were at the flat.

A toxicology report later showed that he was under the influence of alcohol and a mix of illegal and prescribed drugs.

In his defence, his lawyer, Advocate Julian Gollop - who defended Victoria Crescent killer Damian Rzeszowski in 2012 - said that McCormick had suffered from the effects of brain surgery and that he was genuinely remorseful for the crime, which happened after he had started building a life for himself and his family after his release from prison for the earlier assault.