A “thoroughly evil” killer who murdered and dismembered his pregnant girlfriend more than 20 years ago appeared in court on Monday accused of a firearms offence.
Appearing at Lisburn Magistrates Court by videolink from prison, 51-year-old Stephen Peter Scott confirmed he understood the single charge against him.
Scott, with an address on the Garvaghy Road in Dromara, faces an allegation that “having been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of three years or more purchased, acquired or had in your possession a firearm or ammunition,” a charge with District Judge Rosie Watters said was “unusual - I don’t think I have ever seen it before.”
Det Const Keys confirmed he believed he could connect Scott to the charge and defence counsel Patrick Taylor said he was not applying for bail but did explain some of the background to the case.
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“Mr Scott is working on a farm and he had been asked by his employer to try to get weaponry to deal with vermin on the farm which breached the terms of his licence,” said the lawyer adding “I’m told that the police accept this explanation but probation have to comment on whether or not he is to be returned to prison for breach of his licence.”
DC Keys said that having spoken to Scott’s boss, “I’m not sure that he has been directed to get a firearm, possibly he was asked to build a firearm for vermin control but he was in control of quite a lot of ammunition.”
Remanding Scott into custody, DJ Watters adjourned the case for a week.
Seventeen-year-old Sylvia Fleming was pregnant when she was murdered and her body dismembered in Omagh in 1998 by Stephen Scott.
Her body parts were found under the foundations of a partially-built house eight weeks later and sentencing Scott in 2000, the judge described him as “thoroughly evil” and ordered him to serve at least 19 years of his life sentence.
He said: “The manner in which her body was disposed of after her murder is surely the most gruesome.
“I am satisfied that you, Scott, not only deliberately killed this young girl but that you planned that killing and carried it out in circumstances so squalid that they would revolt any right-thinking person.”