Richard Satchwell trial: jury resumes considering its verdict

Irish Times

6 days ago

A jury has resumed considering its verdict in the trial at the Central Criminal Court of Richard Satchwell, who denies the murder of his wife at their Co Cork home.
The skeletal remains of Tina Satchwell were found under the couple's home in Youghal in October 2023, more than six years after her husband reported her missing.
Mr Satchwell (58), a lorry driver, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife (45) at No 3 Grattan Street, Youghal, on March 19th and 20th, 2017.
The trial, now in its 23rd day, heard evidence from more than 50 witnesses.
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The jury of seven women and five men began considering their verdict about 3pm on Tuesday and continued their deliberations throughout Wednesday and Thursday. When sent home at 3.45pm on Thursday, at their request, they had deliberated for a total of eight hours and 37 minutes.
They resumed their deliberations today just after 11.30am.
Relatives of Ms Satchwell, including her mother Mary Collins, half-sister Lorraine Howard and cousin Sarah Howard were again in court today.
Mr Justice Paul McDermott has told the jury there has three possible verdicts open to it – not guilty of murder; guilty of murder; and not guilty of murder but guilty of manslaughter.
The judge has directed they may also consider, depending on their view of the evidence, a defence of partial self-defence or full self-defence.
The trial heard Mr Satchwell went to Fermoy Garda station on March 24th 2017, where he told a garda his wife had disappeared from their home four days later, and that he believed she had left him and had taken €26,000 cash savings. He told a garda he was not concerned about her safety.
After gardaí interviewed him in early May 2017, he formally reported his wife as a missing person.
Gardaí, increasingly concerned something untoward had happened to Ms Satchwell, obtained a warrant to search the couple's home in June 2017 when devices were seized.
In October 2023, gardaí carried out a full invasive search of the property, using a cadaver dog. Skeletal remains identified as Ms Satchwell were found on October 11th, 2023, buried in a grave site about one metre deep in an area under the stairs in the sittingroom.
Mr Satchwell, who had been arrested but released before the remains were found, was rearrested. During an interview with gardaí, he told them his wife had flown at him with a chisel on the morning of March 20th, 2017, that he fell and that she came on top of him trying to stab him with the chisel.
He said that while fending her off with the belt of her dressing gown robe, which was up around her neck, she went limp and died.
He told gardaí there was 'no premeditation' and he had not called emergency services due to 'panic and shame'. He said he placed her body on the couch before moving it to a freezer for about two days after which he buried it in a grave dug by him under the stairs and which he had cemented over.
A postmortem of the remains was, due to lapse of time, unable to establish a cause of death. The jury heard there was no evidence of fractures to the bones, including the hyoid bone in the neck.
Prosecuting counsel Gerardine Small argued in her closing address to the jury that Mr Satchwell's account of how his wife died was 'nonsense' and submitted the evidence, including his own words and actions after her death, showed he had the necessary intent for murder, to kill or cause serious injury. He had a possible motive in that his wife had threatened to leave him, Ms Small said.
Defence counsel Brendan Grehan argued the prosecution had called no expert evidence that Mr Satchwell's account of how his wife died was not possible. There was no evidence of fractures on her remains and no evidence that he had ever been violent to his wife, counsel said.
Mr Satchwell had, after her death, told many lies and engaged in disreputable conduct but that did not make him a murderer, Mr Grehan submitted.