Body of Tina Satchwell was found wrapped in black plastic under stairs of her home, court hears
THE BODY OF Tina Satchwell was found wrapped in black plastic, dressed in her dressing gown and pyjamas and with shards of glass in her head and arm, a court has been told.
Tina Satchwell was found buried in a deep clandestine grave under the stairs at the home she shared with her husband, Richard Satchwell.
A forensic officer said he noticed poured concrete was different to other cement on the ground under the stairs during a search of the property in Co Cork in October 2023.
Richard Satchwell (58) of Grattan Street in Youghal, is accused of murdering his wife Tina between 19 and 20 March 2017.
He denies the charge.
Satchwell, originally from Leicester in England, formally reported his wife missing on 11 May 2017.
He initially claimed he believed she had left their family home because their relationship had deteriorated and she had taken €26,000 in cash they kept in the attic.
Her remains were found buried under a concrete floor under the stairs in their home.
Detective Garda Karen McCarthy told the Central Criminal Court in Dublin that she took samples from the body of Tina Satchwell at Cork University Hospital where a post-mortem examination was taking place on 12 October.
Detective McCarthy said that she recovered Tina Satchwell's dressing gown with a belt around it, her pyjama top and bottoms, underwear and a purse that was found in the left pocket of the gown.
She said that the purse contained a Public Services Card with the name of Tina Satchwell, a Holland & Barrett rewards card, as well as a membership card for Rathcormac car boot sale.
The court was also told that shards of glass were found in her head and arm and that she had been wrapped in a blanket.
A sample of her head hair and toenail were also taken for DNA testing.
The jury also heard about the moment a forensic archaeologist found a hand as they dug under the stairs of the Youghal home.
Detective Garda Brian Barry, who is involved in the investigation of major crime scenes, was accompanied by building contractors to help in the invasive search on 10 October 2023.
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They were alerted to an area at the stairs by the garda search dog, Fern.
Richard Satchwell has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife Tina in 2017.
Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Detective Barry said that he used purple lighting to look under the stairs and could see different coloured concrete.
He described it as 'newer concrete' which he said was 'very suspicious to me' and was 'unusual'.
'I certainly took an interest in this,' he told the court.
The builders used special kango hammers to break the concrete and they dug until they discovered black plastic sheeting about 64cm from the ground level.
Detective Barry said it was unusual and he was 'very suspicious'.
The contractors were told the stop digging and Detective Barry contacted the crime scene manager to require the forensic archaeologists to attend the area.
Retired detective sergeant Shane Curran, a former member of the technical bureau and crime scene manager of the search, said that the dog was returned to the scene and confirmed the presence of human remains by going into 'freeze mode'.
He said that two archaeologists and later a forensic anthropologist assisted in the recovery of the remains.
He said they found the human remains of Tina Satchwell buried deep under the concrete. He said that it was around 74cm to the depth of the burial site.
The retired detective agreed that the process was slow and painstaking to ensure that all evidence was preserved.
He described the excavation as 'complex', and said that Tina Satchwell's remains were fully excavated on the morning of 12 October.
He said that metal detection equipment and ground penetrating radar was also used during the search, which had been scheduled to last a week.
The court was told that the initial plan was to remove walls inside the property and knock down an extension at the back of the building as part of the search.
This plan did not proceed following the discovery of Tina Satchwell's remains.
The trial continues.
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RTÉ News
7 hours ago
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'Preferable if we had a cadaver dog', says justice minister amid concerns over Satchwell case
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The investigations into the murders of Tina Satchwell and Michael Gaine, whose bodies were not found during initial searches after their disappearance, will be reviewed. Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said that 'in hindsight' it may have been 'very obvious' where Mrs Satchwell's remains were secretly buried. Mr Harris said a report will be compiled and given to Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan on Ms Satchwell's disappearance, while the case of Mr Gaine is undergoing a peer review. Tina Satchwell. Earlier this week, Richard Satchwell was given a life sentence for the murder of his wife Tina at their home in Co Cork. The British truck driver, 58, had denied murdering his wife between March 19 and 20, 2017. The jury at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin reached the unanimous verdict last Friday after nine hours and 28 minutes of deliberations. Pic: An Garda Síochána Missing Persons Ms Satchwell's skeletal remains were found buried under the stairs of the couple's home in Youghal, Co. Cork, in October 2023, more than six years after her husband reported her missing. The house had been searched in 2017 but nothing was found. In a separate case, the remains of Mr Gaine, a farmer from Co. Kerry, were discovered in a slurry tank on his farmland in May, two months after he was reported missing by his wife. The farmyard had been previously searched as part of the investigation. Tina Satchwell. Speaking about the investigation of Ms Satchwell's disappearance, Mr Harris said the 2017 search did 'harvest' some 'huge information', which was 'crucial' in the re-examination of the case. Speaking at the Garda College in Templemore, Co. Tipperary, he said: 'The initial investigation was hamstrung because of the lack of information in comparison to the later re-examination of this matter. 'There's far more information to hand, which gave us real grounds then for actual suspicion and then inquiries that we could lead. Michael (Mike) Gaine. Pic: '[In] hindsight, some of these things can seem very obvious, but in the moment, what was known, what was being said in terms of sighting, what was being said in terms of the victim by her husband, and one has to recognise the victimology that was being applied here. 'The coercive control that obviously she was subject to for many years, her isolation in that particular community, that meant that there was very few other people that we could speak to [about] what Tina Satchwell's life was like. 'Yes, the house was searched in 2017. Forensic scientists also accompanied that search. It was subject to thorough examination and looked for blood splatter. None was found.' He said the initial investigation will be subject to a review. 'There are definitely lessons that we wish to learn from all of these homicides, where it's missing persons and then converts some time later to a homicide investigation.' He added: 'We've already reviewed all our missing person reports nationally. We found no other suspected homicide cases. 'Then following the Michael Gaine investigation, we're subjecting that to peer review, as I do think there's learning for us around those who would commit crime and then attempt to dispose of the body, and often are successful in disposing of the body,' he added.
