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The Secret: Hazel Stewart's second husband denies ITV preview claims

David Stewart said his stepchildren did not see the series ahead of broadcast. Lesley Howell's daughter Lauren Bradford has been highly critical of the makers of The Secret. Picture by Colm Lenaghan, Pacemaker
David Stewart said his stepchildren did not see the series ahead of broadcast. Lesley Howell's daughter Lauren Bradford has been highly critical of the makers of The Secret. Picture by Colm Lenaghan, Pacemaker David Stewart said his stepchildren did not see the series ahead of broadcast. Lesley Howell's daughter Lauren Bradford has been highly critical of the makers of The Secret. Picture by Colm Lenaghan, Pacemaker

THE husband of double murderer Hazel Stewart has said her children were no offered a preview of ITV drama `The Secret' which depicts the murder of their father.

David Stewart said his stepchildren did not see the series ahead of its broadcast.

Hazel Stewart was convicted of killing her then-husband Trevor Buchanan and Lesley Howell, the wife of her lover, Coleraine dentist Colin Howell.

At the time the deaths were thought to be a suicide pact, with the killers not brought to justice for almost 20 years, when Howell unexpectedly confessed to the murders.

Stewart's two children, Lisa and Andrew, and second husband have refused to accept her guilt.

ITV said the families were offered a chance to view it before it aired - the third installment of the four-part mini-series was on last night.

The broadcaster claimed families of both victims had been informed of the production and given an opportunity to see it.

However, Mr Stewart said the Buchanan children were not contacted.

He told Radio Ulster "Trevor Buchanan's next of kin were not given that opportunity" and backed Lauren Bradford (Howell's daughter) who criticised the programme for leaving her traumatised.

In an article for the Guardian, written after the first episode was broadcast, she said the makers "trivialise the reality of these events and dehumanise the impact that it has on those involved".

Now living in England, her MP Louise Haigh raised her case with David Cameron at Prime Minister's Questions saying while no rules had been broken, "victims' voices should have a far greater role in any accounting of their tragedy" and asking for a meeting "to discuss what more can have been done in this circumstance and how we can strengthen the regulation in future to protect victims".

The drama is based on former PA Ireland editor Deric Henderson's 2011 book and stars James Nesbitt in a critically acclaimed performance as Howell.

But scriptwriter Stuart Urban said he also did "a lot of my own research", including "(meeting) members of the families of the victims to ask for their personal memories and so on".

He told the Daily Express he interviewed "other direct people, eye-witnesses to the event - not the actual murders, obviously, but people who knew them, the perpetrator and the victims".

James Nesbitt has told how his sister "used to go to Lesley's coffee mornings and two of my best friends were patients of Colin's".

"For all intents and purposes, this was a community that was law-abiding and well-respected," he said.

"It's quite easy to imagine that Baptist community as an odd and cultish world, but it wasn't at all. They're certainly a close community, but I knew a lot of these people and they're charitable people that will go out of their way to help you."