A truck driver discovered responsible of murdering his spouse, whose stays had been discovered below the steps at their dwelling in Eire, has been sentenced to life in jail.
Richard Satchwell, initially from Leicester, had denied the homicide of Tina Satchwell on a date between 19 March and 20 March 2017.
Her skeletal stays had been found on the Co Cork property in October 2023, six years after her husband reported her lacking.
Throughout his five-week trial, jurors heard from greater than 50 witnesses, together with cops concerned within the investigation.
Police had found Mrs Satchwell’s stays buried below the steps in the lounge of their dwelling. Her badly decomposed physique was wrapped in a dirty sheet and lined with black plastic.
She was carrying pyjamas and a dressing robe, with the belt of the robe wrapped round her.
A state pathologist mentioned she couldn’t set up the precise reason behind dying due to how decomposed the physique was.
Throughout police interviews, Satchwell, 58, mentioned that on the morning of 20 March 2017 he discovered his spouse standing on the backside of the steps with a chisel in her hand, scraping off the plasterboard, and claimed she got here at him with the article and he fell again on to the ground.
He mentioned Mrs Satchwell tried to stab him a number of instances with the chisel and he grabbed her clothes and restrained her by placing the belt of the dressing robe in opposition to her neck.
Satchwell mentioned that in a really brief time frame she went limp and fell into his arms.
He mentioned he put her physique on the couch in the lounge, earlier than transferring her to the chest freezer after which burying her below the steps.
Kinfolk of Mrs Satchwell wept because the responsible verdict was returned on Friday 30 Might.
Satchwell didn’t react because the unanimous verdict was learn to the Central Felony Courtroom in Dublin.
Following the sentencing, the household of Mrs Satchwell described her as a sort and delicate lady who cherished animals.
Tina’s cousin, Sarah Howard, mentioned that Mrs Satchwell was murdered “by somebody who claimed to like her”.
“The emotional toll of her loss is one thing I’ll carry with me at all times,” she mentioned.
Tina Satchwell. Pic: Household Handout/PA
Her half-sister Lorraine Howard mentioned the way in which Mrs Satchwell was buried in plastic in her own residence “sends shivers down my backbone each time I give it some thought”.
“I’ll by no means be capable of forgive Richard Satchwell for what he has achieved.”
Satchwell’s barrister Brendan Grehan SC advised the courtroom that Satchwell intends to attraction, and that he “by no means supposed to kill Tina”.
Mr Grehan additionally mentioned that Satchwell mentioned “regardless of something he mentioned within the trial, Tina was a beautiful individual”.
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The courtroom was advised the couple married within the UK on Tina’s twentieth birthday, and later settled in Co Cork, first in Fermoy earlier than transferring to Youghal in 2016.
The trial heard that on 24 March 2017, Satchwell went to Irish police and claimed his spouse had left their Youghal dwelling 4 days in the past as a result of their relationship had deteriorated.
Satchwell had additionally claimed Mrs Satchwell had taken €26,000 euros in money from financial savings they saved within the attic, which the courtroom later heard they didn’t have the capability to save lots of.
He formally reported his spouse lacking in Might 2017 and claimed to investigators that his spouse was generally violent in direction of him.
Within the following years, he revamped a dozen media appearances wherein he spoke extensively concerning the morning he claimed Mrs Satchwell left the home and by no means returned.
