Jury sees clip of TV interview of Richard Satchwell saying he ‘never laid a finger' on wife Tina
The jury in the trial of Richard Satchwell have viewed further video clips of the accused making media appeals about his wife Tina months after he is alleged to have murdered her and buried her in a shallow grave beneath their Cork home.
Mr Satchwell told TV3 News viewers he 'never laid a finger on her' when asked whether he had killed her.
He also told the media outlet he was 'innocent of any wrongdoing' when asked by Paul Byrne, of TV3 News, in July 2017 whether he was an innocent man.
The British truck driver also told Mr Byrne on that date: 'One day my wife will turn back up or she will get in touch with gardaí. One way or another it will all come out and in time will prove I've done nothing wrong.'
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When Mr Satchwell was asked by Barry Cummins, of Prime Time Investigates, in January 2018 what his message was to his wife, Mr Satchwell said: 'I want you to get in touch ... I believe somebody is out there that does know where she is because she didn't get up and leave without some help from somebody.'
The Central Criminal Court jury has heard how on March 24th, 2017, Mr Satchwell told gardaí his wife had left their home four days earlier, but he had no concerns over her welfare, feeling she had left due to a deterioration in their relationship.
The accused formally reported Tina missing the following May, but her body was not discovered for more than six years when gardaí found her decomposed remains in a grave that had been dug underneath the stairs of her home.
In her opening address on Tuesday, Gerardine Small SC, prosecuting, told the jury that after the body was recovered, Mr Satchwell told gardaí that he lost his footing and fell to the ground when his wife tried to stab him with a chisel. He told detectives that he held her weight off with a belt, but that in a matter of seconds she was dead in his arms, the court heard.
Mr Satchwell (58), with an address at Grattan Street, Youghal, Co Cork, has pleaded not guilty to murdering his 45-year-old wife Tina Satchwell at that address between March 19th and March 20th, 2017.
The trial has heard there are a total of 14 media clips for the jury to watch.
Media interviews played to the jury on Thursday included clips from TV3 News on July 14th, 2017; RTÉ's Crimecall on July 25th, 2017; TV3 News on November 20th, 2017; RTÉ Prime Time Investigates in January 2018; TV News on March 7th, 2018; and Youghal's CRY104FM on March 10th, 2018.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of five men and seven women.
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'On foot of a request from the Minister of State with responsibility for Older People, HIQA has also commenced a review of all nursing homes operated by the provider group, and we will provide an interim report to the Minister this week. 'HIQA encourages residents and their family and friends to engage with us directly about their experiences so that we can support the delivery of safe and effective care and support for all residents.' For now, Paul and his siblings are visiting Audeon every day. 'We're doing memory games with him, helping him to exercise, bringing in food to him as well,' says Paul. When I ask about the level of anger he's feeling right now, Paul takes a long pause before answering. 'I don't do conflict easily,' he eventually replies. 'I have a sober approach to it, I try to do everything by the book. I'm disappointed, upset and shocked about what happened to Dad, but I'm equally frustrated because of the broken promises they made to us. 'Everything they said they'd change to make sure Dad would get better care, but he didn't.'
