Gardai to review Tina Satchwell and Michael Gaine investigations

Extra.ie​

13 hours ago

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: RIP.ie
'[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.