Richard Satchwell: Sentencing hearing under way for murder of wife Tina
A sentencing hearing of
Richard Satchwell
who was found guilty last week of the murder of his wife
Tina Satchwell
is under way at the
Central Criminal Court
.
Ms Satchwell's skeletal remains were found in a deep grave in an area under the stairs of the couple's
Co Cork
home in October 2023, more than six years after her husband reported her missing.
Satchwell (58), a lorry driver, had pleaded not guilty to murdering the 45-year-old at Grattan Street, Youghal, on March 19th and 20th, 2017. He claimed his wife had left him, taking their savings.
After the remains were uncovered during a forensic excavation, Satchwell had claimed that his wife flew at him with a chisel on the morning of March 20th, 2017, and, during a struggle, went 'limp' and died. He said he put her body on a couch, then in a chest freezer and, on March 26th, buried her under the stairs.
READ MORE
He was convicted of his wife's murder last Friday by unanimous verdict of the jury of seven women and five men, following more than nine hours of deliberation.
Lawyers for Satchwell had
unsuccessfully tried
to have the murder charge against him withdrawn and substituted with manslaughter in the fourth week of the trial.
Mr Justice Paul McDermott rejected arguments from Satchwell's defence team – made at the end of the evidence and in the absence of the jury – there was no evidence on which the jury could safely find Satchwell had the necessary legal intention for murder, to kill or cause serious injury to his wife,
Tina
.
That was 'a huge lacuna' in the prosecution case, defence counsel Brendan Grehan argued.
Tina Satchwell's family previously made a statement outside court, and said that Tina was 'portrayed in a way that is not true to who she was'.
Tina's cousin, Sarah Howard 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 her loss has had on us.'
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