Lorry driver murdered wife and hid body under the stairs for six years

Telegraph

4 days ago

A British lorry driver has been found guilty of murdering his wife in Ireland and hiding her body under the stairs.
Richard Satchwell, 58, did not react as the unanimous verdict was read to the Central Criminal Court in Dublin on Friday.
Satchwell, who had denied murdering Tina Satchwell on March 19-20 2017, will be sentenced on June 4.
Mrs Satchwell's remains were discovered under the stairs of their home in Co Cork six years after her husband reported her missing.
Speaking outside court, her cousin Sarah Howard said the family 'finally have justice' following the conviction.
She said: 'Tina was our precious sister, cousin, auntie and daughter. Her presence in our lives meant so much to us all.
'We, as a family, can never put into words the impact that her loss has had on all of us. Today, as a family, we finally have justice for Tina.'
Satchwell formally reported his wife as missing in May 2017, and also told investigators that his wife was sometimes violent towards him, but he had put up with it because he loved her.
In August 2021, Supt Ann Marie Twomey was appointed senior investigating officer, and after identifying new lines of inquiry, concluded that Tina had met her death by unlawful means.
During the investigation, Gardai found that Satchwell's computer had searches for quicklime shortly after his wife disappeared.
Investigators obtained a court search warrant, and in October 2023, police officers discovered Mrs Satchwell's skeletal remains buried under the stairs of the couple's home after a search of the property in Grattan Street.
Her badly decomposed body was wrapped in a soiled sheet and covered with a black plastic sheet. She was wearing pyjamas with a dressing gown, and the belt of the gown was wrapped around her.
Dr Margaret Bolster, the state pathologist, said she could not determine the exact cause of death because of the advanced state of decomposition.
Gardai arrested Satchwell for murder following the discovery of his wife's remains.
During Garda interviews, Satchwell said that on the morning of March 20 2017, he found his wife standing at the bottom of the stairs with a chisel in her hand, scraping at the plasterboard.
He claimed that she came at him with the chisel, and he fell back on to the floor.
He added that Mrs Satchwell tried to stab him multiple times with the chisel and that he grabbed her clothing and restrained her by putting the belt of the robe against her neck.
Satchwell said that in a very short period of time, she went limp and fell into his arms.
He then placed her body on the couch in the living room, before moving her to the chest freezer and then burying her under the stairs.
Lorraine Howard, Mrs Satchwell's half-sister, described the couple's marriage as odd and said that Satchwell was possessive of Tina and referred to her as his 'trophy wife'.
She said that Satchwell portrayed his wife as being violent after she disappeared, and said he would show her every cut and scar on his body and blame her half sister for it.
In her closing speech, Gerardine Small, the prosecution barrister, said that Satchwell was 'shamelessly brazen', the narrative he gave about how his wife died was implausible and had 'more holes than a block of Swiss cheese'.
She said that he displayed 'conniving actions, full of guile' and embarked on a 'web of deceit' after he buried his wife.
The prosecution described Satchwell's narrative as implausible and self-serving, highlighting his failure to seek help after Tina's death.