Latest news with #Cork
BreakingNews.ie
24 minutes ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
An obsessed husband's lies and a shallow grave: The full story of the Tina Satchwell murder case
There were candles at the shrine, where small mementos of a cherished life bordered photographs of happier times. Tina Satchwell never lived to see how the ashes of her terrier dog Heidi were lovingly stored in a miniature casket with an engraved plaque, nor how a certificate attested that the animal had been cremated "with the utmost care and respect". She never got to pay homage to her cherished pet because she had been murdered years earlier and entombed just a few feet away, her body hidden in a three-foot grave dug under the stairs of her home by her husband of 25 years, Richard Satchwell. Advertisement Satchwell would go on to make tearful television appeals for Tina to come home and "just let people know you're alright" while his wife remained buried underfoot for six years. When Tina's remains were eventually discovered, Satchwell would explain to gardaí that he hadn't wanted to dirty his wife, so he had wrapped her body in black plastic that he'd use as ground covering at car boot sales. He described how he dug out the grave under the stairs with a spade before carrying Tina into "the hole, in me arms". "I didn't chuck her down," he made sure to tell detectives. Before he covered the grave opening with cement, Satchwell threw a couple of bunches of tulips in with his wife. He said he had driven around different shops looking for roses but couldn't find any because it was Mother's Day. Advertisement "I had to make it as special as I could for her... I wanted her to know the hand that killed her was also the hand that loved her... I wanted her to see I never truly meant any harm," Satchwell told gardaí. Something about her When 22-year-old Richard Satchwell saw Tina Dingivan for the first time in 1989, in the village of Coalville in the UK, he told his brother that he would marry her. He said there was something about Tina that "captivated" him; "confidence, the way she looked, the way she walked, multiple things". Tina was described at the trial as "a genuinely lovely" woman. The jury heard she was a kind-hearted family person who was social, bubbly and adored her two dogs, who she kept with her as a constant companion and considered "her children". Tina was a "petite lady", only around five-foot five or four in height and weighing approximately eight stone. Tina Satchwell The trial heard that her grandmother Florence Dingivan raised her and that Tina grew up believing they were mother and daughter. However, the jury were told that when she went looking for her birth certificate at her confirmation age, Tina "found out the truth" that Florence was actually her grandmother and a woman she believed was her sister was in fact her mother. Advertisement Satchwell would go on to murder Tina on the anniversary of her grandmother's death. After proposing while on a 1991 visit to Youghal in Cork, Richard and Tina got married in the UK on Tina's 20th birthday. They moved back to Fermoy two years later, where they bought a house. In May 2016, the Satchwells moved to Tina's last home on Grattan Street in Youghal. Witnesses who met Tina at car boot sales across Cork recalled that she was glamorous and colourful. One told the trial that Tina had "an expensive eye" and would wear clothes for a while before selling them on again. Another recalled that Richard Satchwell said his wife's dog had a bigger wardrobe than him. Satchwell said he spent a lot of time on home improvement works, including building a walk-in wardrobe for Tina's clothes on the second floor of their house, which was overflowing with clothes on racks. However, the trial heard that when gardaí first searched the house after Tina's disappearance, it was dirty and unkempt with dog faeces on the floor, an unemptied bird cage and unwashed dishes lying around. Advertisement 'A casual inquiry' On March 24th, 2017, Richard Satchwell called to Fermoy Garda Station, over 40km away from Youghal. There he told officers that his wife had left home four days earlier, but that he had no concerns over her welfare, feeling she had left due to a deterioration in their relationship. He also reported that Tina had taken approximately €26,000 from the couple's savings that was hidden in a money box in the attic. On May 2nd, 2017, Garda Thomas Keane called to Grattan Street to see whether there had been any contact from Tina. Satchwell reiterated that he had no concerns for Tina's well-being or safety and anticipated she would be home to him sooner rather than later. Satchwell formally reported his wife missing on May 11th, 2017, upgrading the Garda investigation from what was "a casual inquiry of someone leaving home" to a formal missing person investigation. Advertisement Recalling the day his wife disappeared, Satchwell said Tina had asked him to get a few things in Aldi in Dungarvan but when he got home she was gone, with her house keys on the ground and her phone on the kitchen table. He said their dogs were in the sitting room, which he thought was strange as she never left the house without them. When there was no sign of Tina coming home after an hour, Satchwell said he started to get worried and went upstairs to discover two suitcases missing and the €26,000 gone. He told gardaí he felt like "the ground had opened up beneath" him. The trial heard that trawls of CCTV footage from Youghal town, a social media campaign carrying pictures of Tina and house-to-house inquiries proved fruitless. Ports and airports were canvassed and searches took place on coastlines and in forests. Now retired Sergeant John Sharkey, of Youghal Garda Station, told the trial he formed the opinion that "something criminal may have occurred" in late May or the start of June that year. He said the force became suspicious that "something untoward" had happened to Tina in May 2017 due to the inability to find any trace of her. 'I wasted 28 years with you' Garda Aidan Dardis took a statement from Satchwell on May 14th, 2017, where he said that he and his wife were driving from Youghal to Midleton the week before she went missing when Tina "got angry out of nowhere". "She said I wasted 28 years with you, I compromised myself with you," Satchwell told gardaí. Satchwell told the officer that Tina "wore the trousers" in their relationship and he was a "bit of a walkover". He said that after Tina's brother Tom had committed suicide in 2012, her mood-swings had gotten worse but that she always had "a short fuse". He said he believed Tina had some "undiagnosed psychiatric condition" and would sometimes have violent outbursts towards him. Satchwell said he didn't think Tina was a danger to herself; that she was "too vain" and "in love with herself". Satchwell said he would "never lay a hand on" Tina but that sometimes she had "violent outbursts" towards him where she would hit him "with anything that came to her hand". He claimed that two weeks after they started going out, Tina had given him a black eye. Satchwell said his wife might slap him once a week, while there was "real violence" three or four times a year. Satchwell said Tina took out her frustration in life on him and that he suffered her abuse as he thought she was "in pain". "She isn't a bad person and I don't want to paint her like that," he also added. Satchwell told gardaí he just wanted to know that Tina was "safe and sound". "I gave up my family for her, she is my whole world". First search About 10 gardaí conducted a search of the Satchwell home on June 7th, 2017, on the basis that there had been an assault causing harm to Tina. Gardaí noted "home improvement works" were going on in the house but were unfinished. They also noted that there was "relatively new" plasterboard on the stairs and a new red-bricked wall underneath the stairway. A forensic scientist examined the stairs, hallways and landings of the house for blood using a chemical called 'Bluestar' but none was detected. Obssessed The following day, Satchwell voluntarily attended Midleton Garda Station and spoke to Inspector Daniel Holland. Satchwell again explained how he had given up a lot of his life to be with Tina, that his family didn't approve of the relationship and they no longer spoke to him. He said he wanted to have children but Tina didn't. Satchwell repeated that Tina had physically assaulted him and on two occasions; "knocked him out cold, unconscious". He told the inspector that he fully expected Tina to come home but was concerned that publicity from social media appeals would be an obstacle to her returning, in that people might ridicule her for leaving in the first place. Tina Satchwell, © PA Media Satchwell described himself as "obsessed" with Tina, despite what he said were her "extreme assaults". Asked why he put up with this, Satchwell said his wife, who he said had a dysfunctional childhood, was "the perfect person" when she was not in a mood and he had long accepted her "dark side". However, Satchwell's trial would hear that he never reported any such violence to his doctor of 18 years. It was only after Tina's disappearance that Satchwell told his GP that Tina had assaulted him "on multiple occasions" and that the violence was frequent and sometimes severe. Satchwell's defence counsel would go on to tell his trial that their client was "besotted" with and "worshipped" Tina – knowing "things that most husbands wouldn't know about their wives". Satchwell would tell gardaí how Tina was not just "slim" but "a size 10 waist and a 29 to 31 leg depending on the make of the trouser". She wore a size 10 to 12 top, her bust was 34 DD and she had a size four to five foot. He said she always hovered between 8 and 8.5 stone in weight, never going above or below. The accused told gardaí how the couple partook in "rituals" seven nights a week where Satchwell, who said he always knew his role, would run Tina a bath with "as many suds as possible". Only on a Sunday however, would he take polish off her toes while she soaked in the tub. "I never used to take the nail polish off her fingernails, they were precious," he commented. He described how he would towel his wife off when she emerged from the bath, which he said "was the closest to physical contact" they had got in the past few years. Satchwell also detailed how he would apply baby oil or lotion to his wife and pedicure her feet. 'We just want you back' Following his wife's disappearance, Satchwell engaged with reporters from radio, television and – what the prosecution would characterise as – "anyone who would indulge him". Fourteen clips from his media appearances were played for the jury during the trial. Satchwell spoke to RTÉ's Paschal Sheehy on June 26th, 2017, where he made the appeal: "Tina come home, no one's mad at you, the pets are missing you like crazy, we just want and need you back". Another media interview played for the jury was with Paul Byrne from TV3 News [now Virgin Media news] on July 14th, 2017 – four months after his wife disappeared – where Satchwell said he had been with Tina for 28 years and "never lifted a finger to her" during that time. RTÉ's Crimecall was broadcast on July 25th, 2017, where a tearful Richard Satchwell made a televised appeal for Tina to come home, looking directly into the camera and telling her: "Nobody is mad at you, the pets are missing you, just ring the guards, let people know you're alright." He told Barry Cummins on Prime Time Investigates, broadcast on RTÉ on January 25th, 2018, that "if someone tried attacking Tina she would pick the nearest thing up and whack them with it. That the type of person she is, she wouldn't be a pushover". Satchwell also told TV3 News viewers in July 2017 that he was "innocent of any wrongdoing". "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," he said. Gardaí searching Mitchell's Wood in Castlemartyr in March 2018 Another media interview played to the jury was with TV3 News on March 7th, 2018, at Mitchell's Wood in Castlemartyr, where a Garda search was taking place. Asked how difficult it was to go to the woods that day, Satchwell said he was "praying and hoping" the search came to nothing, but it was "racing through" his mind that his wife "could be behind them barriers". Satchwell said on Ireland AM on March 8th, 2018, that any person who had helped his wife "get out of Youghal" should be "ashamed" of themselves. 'Still out there' The trial heard that four years after Tina was reported missing, gardaí conducted an enhanced cognitive interview with Richard Satchwell. The jury were told this method is regarded as one of the "gold standards" in statement-taking, as it is witness-led and "forensic" in detail. On June 20th, 2021, Satchwell told Detective Sergeant David Noonan that he "personally thought" Tina was "still out there somewhere". The defendant described crying on the evening he discovered Tina had left their home while their dog Heidi licked up his tears. He said the rest of the week was a blur and he waited for "the phone to go". He claimed that while his wife could be "nasty", minutes later it would be like it never happened; "she'd be apologising and crying". Satchwell said he had previously tried to end his life by taking a box of sleeping tablets in 1995, when he said Tina was in "one of her bad spells" and violent with him. He said he had only gone to the doctor with scratches in the past and "when you spread it over 28 years it's not as frequent as it sounds". The jury would later hear from retired GP Deirdre O'Grady, who remembered Tina attending her practice but had no recollection of the deceased informing her about Richard taking an overdose. The witness said she also did not remember being called out by Richard Satchwell to his home in April 1993. Satchwell told Det Sgt Noonan that he believed Tina was planning to leave him after her brother died in 2012 and had mentioned "200 or 300 times" over the previous 15 years that she was going to end their relationship. Thelma and Terry The trial heard that gardaí noted several issues with Satchwell's account after a 2021 analysis of phones and laptops seized during the initial search of his home in 2017. Satchwell had sent text messages about problems he had in purchasing two Marmoset monkeys named "Thelma and Terry" at 10.46am on March 20th, 2017, around the same period when his wife had disappeared. One message had read: "I am in a mess right now because my wife has said she is leaving me over this". A similar email was also sent from Satchwell at 10.42am – "in very close proximity to the killing" – to the International Monkey Organisation from which the couple had been trying to buy the two animals. The email read: "I've put an awful lot of work into this and my wife is saying she will leave me over this". A laptop taken from Grattan Street had also been used to search for 'Quicklime' – a substance thrown on top of bodies to aid the decomposition process – at 9.08pm on March 24th, 2017, four days after Satchwell told gardaí that Tina had left their home. A YouTube video on 'Quicklime and water reaction' was also viewed on two occasions seconds later. The trial heard that gardaí also enlisted a forensic accountant to carry out a financial review of the couple's income and establish whether Tina had left with €26,000 from their savings as claimed by the accused. The accountant concluded there was "no sign" the Satchwells had received "a significant cash windfall" to provide them with such funds. A significant inconsistency lay in CCTV footage obtained from Youghal post office recorded at 11.13am on March 20th, 2017, which showed Satchwell claiming the dole. This was "in direct contradiction" to his statement that he had been in Dungarvan that morning, when Tina was allegedly taking money and packing suitcases. Flogging clothes Witnesses told the trial that Satchwell was "flogging" his wife's clothes at a car boot sale just weeks after her disappearance and had claimed that Tina had gone to her sister's in the UK after contracting a "terrible infection". Mary Crowley said she attended a car boot sale on April 17th, 2017, in Blarney and saw Satchwell with his stall selling Tina's 'Dr Martens' boots. She said Satchwell told her that he and his wife had moved into a house which had been unoccupied for 12 years and had mould or fungus. He said Tina had gotten a "very serious respiratory illness" and was in the UK. Satchwell told Ger Carey at the Blarney car boot sale that Tina was so ill she wouldn't be at car boot sales anymore. Linda Hennessy said she was at the Rathcormac car boot sale in late March or early April 2017 and met Satchwell, who told her Tina was very sick and in hospital. Sarah Dobson said she met Satchwell at a car boot sale on the May Bank Holiday in 2017, when he was selling Tina's clothes, boots and bags. She said he told her that Tina was very ill in hospital, had lost four stone in weight and was in England with her sister while he fixed the walls of their house. "I told him she would kill him for selling all the stuff," she said. Red flag The trial heard that Superintendent Annemarie Twomey was appointed senior investigation officer in the case on August 16th, 2021, by which point Tina Satchwell had been missing for four years and five months. Supt Twomey said that by February 2022, she had reviewed the case material and had reasonable grounds to believe that Tina was not a missing person and had met her death through unlawful means. She told the trial that at the end of August 2022, she had reasonable grounds to believe it was necessary to arrest Richard Satchwell as part of the investigation into the murder of Tina. However, she said he wasn't arrested at that stage as 58 other lines of inquiry needed to be exhausted. The jury heard that a key report was compiled by Dr Niamh McCullagh, who is a specialist in the search and recovery of human remains concealed in a criminal context. She was requested by Supt Twomey to conduct a review of the evidence and submitted her report on September 6th, 2023. Flowers and messages left near to the scene in Youghal, Co Cork. Photo: PA Dr McCullagh told the trial that domestic homicides studies have found the most commonly occurring method for a perpetrator is to create a verbal narrative and to file a false missing person's report. "My own research looked at cases in Ireland where homicides involving concealment after the event indicates that female victims are disposed of closer to their home address than their male counterparts. For all concealed homicide cases that have been studied in Ireland, victims are disposed of within one kilometre of their home address in the majority of cases," she told the trial. She said one of three possibilities she came to in her report was that Tina Satchwell had been killed at her home address and her body concealed there. Dr McCullagh said she had recommended to gardaí that a more invasive search take place at Ms Satchwell's home as there had been structural changes to Grattan Street, which was a "red flag". She recommended that this include specifically the plasterboard, stairs and ground floor of the sitting room. The witness said she also recommended that the search include a cadaver dog to determine the possibility of buried remains. The trial heard that it wasn't until October 10th, 2023, that an "intrusive search" was conducted at Grattan Street. 'Bits and pieces' Satchwell was arrested at 5pm on October 10th, 2023, for the murder of his wife and brought to Cobh Garda Station. At the same time, the invasive search of Grattan Street was underway. In his interviews with gardaí that night, Satchwell again repeated that he arrived home to find his wife, two suitcases and €26,000 missing. Giving another account of alleged violence, Satchwell said Tina would hit him, fling a plate at him and bite him. "Then she'd calm down and there would be tears and she'd apologise for it". He said he didn't hit her back. He said there had been a "few hundred" fights between them over 30 years; "times I'd hide in the attic when my family visited, times I had to take off work as I couldn't turn up looking the way I did. She had black bruises on her hands from repeatedly hitting said to her 'your arms are black' and she said she wouldn't hit me again". He said the couple never "took sexually again" after the suicide of Tina's brother in 2012, which made him feel "useless". "I never pestered her for sex during any point in the relationship". By October 11th, Satchwell was still under arrest when Sergeant David Noonan told him that his home was being "dug up", with gardaí "going into the walls" and "looking at every inch of the house". Sgt Noonan told the defendant he would be shown certain photos of his house. In a video which was played to the jury, Satchwell could be seen viewing "live" pictures of the stairway in his home while he was in the interview room. When asked what he kept in a "cubby hole" under the stairs, Mr Satchwell replied: "Bits and pieces." It was just hours before gardaí would discover Tina Satchwell's body buried there. Having detained Satchwell for the maximum period they could, gardaí were forced to release him at 4.39pm on October 11th. Fern The trial heard that the search for Tina's body was led by a Cadaver Dog named "Fern", who had indicated the presence of human remains at the Satchwell home. Fern had been used to carry out a systematic search of the house, beginning on the top floor and working down through the property. The trial heard she became "very active" when the stairs were searched. Detective Garda Brian Barry said building contractors were using powerful lighting to examine under the stairs, when he spotted "different coloured concrete". "It was a newer pour of concrete, which was very suspicious to me and unusual". He said builders broke through the concrete and the site was dug until black plastic was exposed, which was found quite deep at 64cm from the surface. The jury were told that Fern went into "full freeze" mode, indicating the presence of human remains, when shown the black plastic. Gardaí searching the property in Youghal, Co Cork. Photo: PA At that point, two forensic archaeologists took over the excavation of the scene and revealed a grave which was approximately three foot by six foot. The trial heard that the archaeologists continued their work until a hand was exposed. Tina Satchwell's remains were finally uncovered at around 8.35pm on the evening of October 11th, 2023 – six years and seven months after her death. The trial heard that the site was fully excavated the next day, with Tina's remains removed from the clandestine gravesite and placed in a body bag. Consultant forensic anthropologist Laureen Buckley said there were no fractures to any of Ms Satchwell's bones, including the hyoid bone – which the jury heard is "sometimes but not always" damaged in strangulation cases. Professor Paul Brady said he compared the remains with Tina Satchwell's dental records and found they were consistent with those of the missing woman. 'My Irish rose' The jury heard how, when he was re-arrested the following day, Richard Satchwell presented detectives with a completely new narrative. He now told gardaí that he had been working in his shed on March 20th, 2017. When said that when he came back into the house, Tina was at the bottom of the stairs in her dressing gown with a chisel in her hand, scraping plasterboard that he had put up. Satchwell claimed that Tina "flew" at him with the chisel, that he had fallen backwards and described holding the belt of her bathrobe at her neck "until she got heavier". "Before I know it, it had all stopped, it just stopped. I put my arms around her, she fell down on top of me. I held her for a good 20 minutes or half an hour. The two dogs just there, sitting looking. They came over, started licking her; I just laid there. Sometime later, I don't know, I got up and just like to keep things normal". Satchwell told gardaí he was holding his wife and kissing her on the head. He said this was the only time he ever "truly" defended himself against Tina and had held her corpse in his arms all night long. "There was no taking back; I just don't know. Shame, panic – I don't know". Satchwell said he initially laid Tina on a couch and the next few days went by "in a blur". He described to detectives how he then put Tina's body inside a large chest freezer in the shed two days later, on March 22nd or 23rd. "I just lifted her into it and she fell in". Satchwell went on to advertise the same chest freezer on Done Deal on March 31st, having previously offered it to his wife's cousin. The ad read: "Large chest freezer free to take away, working perfect just needs a clean". The trial heard that one day beforehand, Satchwell sent a text message to Tina's cousin Sarah Howard asking: "Sarah do you want our big chest freezer?". Ms Howard became emotional as she told the jury that she did not respond to the message, which she thought was "very unusual and very strange". Satchwell would tell gardaí: "I was robotic, working on automatic. My brain wasn't working. She was heavy, so heavy, it was like trying to lift a 10-tonne bag of coal". He said he dug out underneath the stairs with a spade and laid his wife on the black plastic on the kitchen floor. "I wanted her to know the hand that killed her was also the hand that loved her," he told detectives. Satchwell said he buried her the following Sunday afternoon – March 26th – under the stairs of their sitting room, as he wanted to keep her with him and didn't want to leave her alone. "I went and got roses and called her my Irish Rose but none - [it was] Mother's Day - so I got her tulips," he continued. He said it could have been 20 minutes or 20 hours, he didn't know how long it took to dig the hole. "It was light when I started and dark when I finished". "I ain't got no excuses; once it's done I couldn't take it back," he added. He described working in the tight space under the stairs and said his knuckles were bleeding. Satchwell cried as he told gardaí: "I actually carried her into the hole, I didn't drop her into the hole, I wasn't disrespectful. I can remember folding the plastic around her, putting the flowers in". He said he put Tina's wedding ring in the pocket of her bathrobe, although the ring was not found with her remains. He told gardaí that "the worst thing of all" was once the lies started, he couldn't stop and he had a "sense of relief" that the truth was out. Satchwell told detectives that he would sit on a little wooden stool and talk to the area in which he had buried Tina, the hardest thing being "not getting anything back". In later interviews, Satchwell claimed Tina was in a "blind rage" and her face was "distorted" when she attacked him. Asked by gardaí whether he had caused Tina to die, the accused said he imagined it was the way she was forcing her weight down on top of him and the belt being where it was, "not being able to breathe". "I can't turn around and say, 'oh her neck was broke or strangulate', I don't know, it just happened so fast". He said this was the only time he ever "truly defended" himself against Tina. "I can't put it into words what happened. I should have just let her stab me, let it be the end of me," he said. "I'm not a monster," he told detectives. Cryptic Gardaí told Satchwell that this description of his wife's death "didn't make sense" and was "most likely a physical impossibility". However, Satchwell said he wasn't trying to "bullsh*t" detectives. "I'm going to prison, there will be no jury because I'm going to plead guilty". Richard Satchwell arriving at the District Court in Cashel, Co Tipperary. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Satchwell also told gardaí that if they produced any photographs of his wife's body in interview, he would not look at them, informing them: "I want to remember Tina the way she was, not the way I made her". Ireland Richard Satchwell: What the jury did not hear Read More On a clear October morning, Richard Satchwell was brought before Cashel Courthouse to be charged with the murder of his wife. During the trial, detectives denied that Satchwell was made to carry out a "perp walk", with defence counsel Brendan Grehan SC submitting that his client was "paraded before the press" while handcuffed to the front. When asked by Mr Grehan whether by doing so gardaí as a "corporate entity" were "overcompensating" for their previous failures in the investigation, Det Garda David Kelleher said he could only speak about his involvement in the investigation from 2021. The trial heard that when he was finally charged with Tina Satchwell's murder, the defendant gave the cryptic reply: "Guilty or not guilty, guilty".
BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- General
- BreakingNews.ie
Tina Satchwell remembered by family as ‘kind, loving and gentle soul'
The family of murder victim Tina Satchwell described her as a 'kind, loving and gentle soul'. Tina's cousin, Sarah Howard, said the family 'finally have justice' following the conviction of Richard Satchwell. Advertisement Satchwell, a British truck driver, was found unanimously guilty of the murder of his wife at their home in Co Cork. The 58-year-old had denied the murder of Mrs Satchwell on a date between March 19 and March 20 2017. Lorraine Howard, the half-sister of Tina Satchwell, speaks to the media outside the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA The jury in the trial returned the verdict on Friday afternoon at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. The jury had been deliberating for a total of nine hours and 28 minutes since Tuesday afternoon. Advertisement Relatives of Mrs Satchwell wept as the guilty verdict was returned. Ms Howard, who gave evidence for the prosecution in the trial, said: 'During this trial Tina was portrayed in a way that is not true to who she was. 'Tina was our precious sister, cousin, auntie and daughter. Her presence in our life meant so much to us all. 'We, as a family, can never put into words the impact that her loss has had on all of us. Advertisement 'Tina was a kind, loving, gentle soul who loved her animals like they loved her and that is the way we want her remembered. Mary Collins, the mother of Tina Satchwell, outside the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA 'Today, as a family, we finally have justice for Tina.' Tina's half-sister, Lorraine Howard, thanked the judge, Mr Justice Paul McDermott, and the prosecution team, including senior barrister Gerardine Small. 'Your hard work and professionalism shone through like the classy ladies you were. We will never be able to put into words how thankful we are for you. We want to sincerely thank the judge, the jury, for their dedication,' she said. Advertisement Ireland Richard Satchwell: What the jury did not hear Read More 'We would like to thank all the witnesses who helped us reach this verdict today. I would like to personally thank Sarah Howard, who came up to give evidence and her support two weeks postpartum from her beautiful baby girl. You did yourself and Tina proud. 'Thank you to [Superintendent] Ann Marie Twomey and [Detective Garda] Dave Kelleher for putting the pieces together and finding Tina. 'We would like to thank John O'Connell, the victim support workers, for keeping our spirits high.'
BreakingNews.ie
2 hours ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Plans for over 800 apartments on banks of the River Lee refused planning permission
Plans for a massive development of over 800 new homes in Cork city docks including a 35-storey apartment block have been refused planning permission by An Bord Pleanála. The board rejected an application by Tiznow Property Company Limited to construct 823 apartments on a 4.86 hectare site along the Marina and Central Park Road on the banks of the River Lee in Cork. Advertisement The company is part of the well-known Comer property development group headed by billionaire brothers, Luke and Brian Comer. The proposed development involved the demolition of buildings on the site of the former Tedcastles Yard and the construction of six apartment blocks ranging from one to 35 storeys in height. The plans also incorporated commercial uses for each of the buildings including three cafés/restaurants, two pubs, seven retail units and a convenience store with an off-licence. Other facilities included a library, medical centre, pharmacy, post office and dentist as well as two creches. Advertisement Tiznow claimed the development would 'create a vibrant city quarter that will support the growth of Cork City as a competitive European city.' However, An Bord Pleanála has now refused planning permission for the multi-million euro project on the grounds that the proposed development would be 'visually obtrusive' from a wide range of viewpoints in the city. 'The design of the tower element and the scale of riverfront development in combination with poor design in terms of facade treatment and architectural expression would seriously detract from the visual amenities and character of the area,' the board said. It claimed the development would be seriously injurious to the visual amenities of the area and claimed the plans represented an inadequate design response 'to the context and opportunity of this site.' Advertisement The board also rejected the plans on the basis that part of the site was zoned for educational use under the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028. It noted that one apartment block was due to be located on the part of the site earmarked for schools or other educational facilities. The board said the plans consequently represented a material contravention of land use zoning policy in Cork city which would 'prejudice the future provision of educational facilities within the Cork Docklands area.' Ireland Homeless figures hit 'shocking' all-time high of m... Read More The planning application had been made under the process for strategic housing developments which meant the applicant was not required to first obtain approval for the project from Cork City Council. Advertisement However, the council's chief executive also recommended that planning permission should be refused for the project on the basis that it would be 'visually obtrusive' and represented a poor design for a prime waterfront site on the Docklands. Council planners observed that there was no provision for active recreational infrastructure to meet the needs of around 2,000 residents apart from a child's play area, while the residential density was not compliant with the city development plan. They also remarked that the 35-storey building was not considered 'to be of acceptable architectural quality.'
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Ireland star goes against the grain with his verdict of Roy Keane as assistant manager under Martin O'Neill
JOHN EGAN defended Roy Keane's tenure as Republic of Ireland assistant coach - while insisting "I wasn't there" for the infamous spat with Harry Arter and Jonathan Walters. Ireland qualified for Euro 2016. Advertisement 2 Roy Keane had a spat with two Ireland stars towards the end of his spell as Ireland assistant manager Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 2 John Egan defended Keane's spell with the team Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile The end of this spell was dogged by a A leaked voice clip from Ireland defender Stephen Ward claimed that Keane had called Arter a "c**t" and a "w****r" after the midfielder sat out a training session due to injury. Hull City defender Egan had made his senior Ireland debut in March 2017. And the Corkman insisted Keane was a "top coach" who was brilliant with him. Advertisement Read More on Roy Keane Speaking on "If Roy Keane is standing behind you and says run, you run. "For me as a Cork man, he was brilliant with me. "I don't think I was there that time so I don't know what happened there. Advertisement Most read in Football Breaking "Roy was class." Keane's initial outburst at Arter led to an intervention from Jonathan Walters. Republic of Ireland assistant boss Roy Keane slams Harry Arter and Jonathan Walters in Stephen Ward's leaked WhatsApp video In the leaked recording, Ward claimed Roy "said something under his breath about Jonny " which led to Walters "losing his head" and confronting him. The Advertisement That was in reference to an interview on The Late Late Show in which he opened up on the death of his mother when he was a boy, his brother's 2018 passing, his wife's miscarriage and his daughter being diagnosed with scoliosis. Asked about the Keane feud on Walters was captain of The Blues under Keane before leaving the club in 2010 to join Stoke in the And when he was asked why he thought Advertisement And while he did not go into too much detail, he teased that the truth will come out eventually. He said: "At some point I might go through my career and do a book and it will be a story that no one knows anything about. "It will be a story that no other player has gone through, I can guarantee that. I will respond at some point. 'After I left Ipswich we were fine with Ireland until he brought everything up again. Advertisement "The Irish stuff was ridiculous, he was the assistant manager of a national team, you're preparing for a game in France, and that was wrong. 'He came back with that because I'm the only player who ever got one over on him, not just once but twice, and he knows it, and that's probably what annoys him.'
Irish Examiner
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
GAA previews: Kerry selection shows respect to Cork but Kingdom double forewarned
SATURDAY All-Ireland SFC, Round 2. Group 1. Tyrone v Mayo, O'Neills Healy Park, 7pm (D. Coldrick, Meath) Live GAA. It goes without saying that Mayo's footballers will want to give recovering Kevin McStay something to cheer and Tyrone's home record is almost as iffy as Mayo's. Having said that, they will be buzzing after breaking Jim McGuinness's home record in Ballybofey. Even if Mayo have had an extra week's rest, Tyrone won't be feeling much of the toils from last Saturday. Mayo's kick-out issues will have to be ironed out to stand a chance here and they won't want it to turn into a shoot-out. Verdict: Tyrone. Group 2. Cork v Kerry, SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, 4.45pm (D. O'Mahoney, Tipperary) Live GAA+. Again, Jack O'Connor is showing respect to Cork with the team he has named for Kerry's return to Leeside. Graham O'Sullivan is again due to start in the half-forward line, which is an acknowledgement of the running power that Cork's half-back line possess although Mattie Taylor's fitness is the subject of attention following his injury against Meath. Having no Diarmuid O'Connor is a blow as Cork's midfield duo will have been stung by what transpired in Navan last Saturday and the criticism that followed. Cork scored an impressive six two-pointers against Kerry last month and that artillery will be required again as Chris Óg Jones's goal remains the only three-pointer Kerry have conceded in their last three championship games. Cork have enough incentive to push Kerry again but the visitors are double forewarned. This is a re-match but it may as well be a replay and in replays the stronger team invariably wins. Verdict: Kerry. Roscommon v Meath, King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park, 6pm (P. Faloon, Down). Not that Roscommon were all that fussed about the game in Killarney but there are many realists among them and winning this game and beating Cork will set them up for a home preliminary quarter-final. Meath come having put their Leinster final disappointment behind them and their variety in their attack gives them a right chance of backing up the win over Cork. Enda Smith's form continues to bemuse but the home side have enough on the field and in the dug-out to claim two points. Verdict: Roscommon. Group 3. Down v Louth, Páirc Esler, 5.30pm (D. Gough, Meath). Louth's challenge eventually fizzled out against Monaghan and if they are not careful, their championship could be over next month, six weeks after claiming that historic Leinster title. The chances are they will beat Clare in the final round to make the last 12 and seeing as how they don't have a home not securing second place wouldn't exactly hurt them. Nevertheless, Ger Brennan will want them to show that losing to Monaghan hurt and their physical strength will be a problem for Down's speedsters. Verdict: Draw. Tailteann Cup, Round 3. Group 2. Offaly v Laois, Cedral St Conleth's Park, 6pm (J. Molloy, Galway). Right now, Laois's score difference in third place would be good enough to get them into the knock-out stages but there are local bragging rights to play for here and they could yet top the table. Somehow, you don't think Offaly are going to let their top spot slip, though. Verdict: Offaly. Wicklow v Waterford, Chadwicks Wexford Park, 6pm (B. Tiernan, Dublin). Wicklow pulled off quite the win over Laois and for them not to go and follow it up with another in Wexford would be a great disappointment. Dean Healy is giving some tremendous performances and he can provide another to guide them to the last 12. Verdict: Wicklow. Group 3. Westmeath v Limerick, Laois Hire O'Moore Park, 2pm (K. Eannetta, Tyrone). Almost a free hit for Limerick as they know they will have at least one more game in the competition. Westmeath will give them a great indication of where they stand. Dermot McCabe's side are putting all their league angst behind them and are genuine cup contenders. Verdict: Westmeath. Christy Ring Cup final. Derry v London, Croke Park, 5pm (P. Dunne, Laois) Live Sport TG4. With 14 goals, London have the real goal-getters in this tier. Jack Morrissey and Conor O'Carroll have each netted four times and the dash that their attack has should be suited to Croke Park. They will likely need them as a composed Derry side still outscored them across the five rounds including the teams' meeting in Ruislip last month. Cormac O'Doherty to lead the way for the Oak Leafers. Verdict: Derry. Nickey Rackard Cup final. Mayo v Roscommon, Croke Park, 1pm (C. Doyle, Tipperary) Live Sport TG4. Seven points divided them in Castlebar in their first round game last month but the margins have closed on the neighbours since. From Round 3 onwards, Roscommon have powered on to make this decider. It's a pity they won't have as much support as each county's football equivalents are in action too but they should provide an engaging game and Mayo should prevail again. Verdict: Mayo. Lory Meagher Cup final. Cavan v New York, Croke Park, 3pm (K. Parke, Antrim) Live Sport TG4. This should be a proud day for Cavan hurlers who are only in this final for the second time, their first since 2021, but there are ominous signs that New York are going to mark their entry in the competition with a comprehensive victory. Verdict: New York. All-Ireland U20 hurling final. Kilkenny v Tipperary, UPMC Nowlan Park, 3pm (S. Hynes, Galway) Live TG4. Tipperary U20 manager Brendan Cummins believes the longer gap between winning Munster and the All-Ireland final this year is a benefit to his side. Last year, they effectively had five days to prepare for Offaly, yet in the time between defeating Clare and this stage, Kilkenny have added another handsome victory. It will be said they haven't been tested as much as Tipperary but that was a good Dublin side they pushed aside in the Leinster final. They are greater than the sum of their parts and have leaders like Eoghan Lyng. Tipperary know for all their senior quality they can fall flat but ever since that first day loss to Limerick they have been a different team. They were fortunate at times against Clare but that inside line of theirs is lethal and Sam O'Farrell will play a longer role in this game. A Kilkenny success can't be dismissed but with so many of last year's All-Ireland runners-up side involved that experience and development should stand to the Munster champions. Verdict: Tipperary. Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie championship, Round 2. Group 1. Tipperary v Cork, The Ragg, 4pm (J. Heffernan, Wexford). Tipperary will fancy themselves to at least ask questions of Cork but as the reigning All-Ireland champions demonstrated last weekend, they are starting as they mean to go on. Anything other than an away win would raise an eyebrow. Verdict: Cork. Limerick v Wexford, Mick Neville Park, Rathkeale, 4pm (P. Murphy, Carlow). Two teams who are coming off defeats but in the case of Wexford, theirs was a respectable one. Limerick were given a trimming by Cork and the scars from that won't fade easily. Verdict: Wexford. Group 2. Derry v Galway, Owenbeg, 2pm (R. Kelly, Kildare). It will be difficult for Derry to dust themselves off after such a heavy loss to Kilkenny last weekend and Galway won't be in much form to take it easy on them either. Verdict: Galway. Kilkenny v Waterford, UPMC Nowlan Park, 12.30pm (C. McAllister, Cork). A good move for this to be part of the double-header with the U20 All-Ireland final. Kilkenny were merciless against Derry but their credentials will be given a bigger examination by Waterford. Verdict: Kilkenny. SUNDAY. All-Ireland SFC, Round 2. Group 1. Cavan v Donegal, Kingspan Breffni, 2pm (F. Kelly, Longford). Donegal are going be so sore after last weekend but there's a mission to accomplish in Cavan town and their reaction should give a great indication of where they stand. There were worrying signs about the porousness of Donegal's defence in the first half and whether Cavan can exploit that remains to be seen but they are rested and full of belief after seeing off Mayo in Castlebar. Cavan may just lack the ruthlessness as Donegal look to get back to winning ways. Verdict: Donegal. Group 3. Monaghan v Clare, St Tiernach's Park, 4pm (J. Henry, Mayo). As Peter Keane said during the week, one win can turn a championship around but the problem for Clare is they are coming off the back of two hidings and Monaghan are scoring for fun at the moment. If Clare are to qualify for the last 12, it would see the final round game against Louth at a neutral venue will be the game to target rather than expecting something in Clones. Verdict: Monaghan. Group 4. Derry v Galway, Celtic Park, 2pm (N. Cullen, Fermanagh) Live GAA+. It was in Derry where some of Galway's frailties were revealed earlier this year and the comeback by Paddy Tally's men in Armagh city will give them some optimism as they look for their first win of the season. That funk will be brutal to emerge from, though, and Galway's sense of urgency is going to be difficult to contain. Pádraic Joyce will have told them in no varnished terms that another performance as they gave against Dublin will be unacceptable. Galway to remind people of their All-Ireland credentials. Verdict: Galway. Dublin v Armagh, Croke Park, 4pm (J. McQuillan, Cavan) Live RTÉ. What an occasion this should be as over 50,000 are expected to be in Croke Park. Dublin fans have fallen out of love with Leinster but their exit from that coupled with the revitalising performance in Salthill has whetted their appetite. Armagh are one of the strongest backed counties outside the capital and they will arrive more than believing they can put one foot in the quarter-finals. It's difficult to believe any team that Dessie Farrell and Kieran McGeeney name but if we can take it that Con O'Callaghan isn't fit then the advantage is with the visitors. Dublin sure coped without him when the game against Galway was in the melting pot but Armagh have a fine bench with more like-for-like replacements. That can be their key to victory. Verdict: Armagh. Tailteann Cup, Round 3. Group 1. Leitrim v Tipperary, TEG Cusack Park, 1.45pm (T. Murphy, Galway). Leitrim have surprised already this season and are capable of doing so again here although Tipperary have been making incremental improvements. It would seem the third team from either this or Group 3 is going to miss out on another game and Tipperary can at least give themselves a chance. Verdict: Tipperary. Kildare v Sligo, King & Moffatt Dr Hyde Park, 2pm (P. Neilan, Roscommon). The Lilywhites have been doing exactly what's been asked of them so far but Sligo have a sting in their tail and it will have to be heeded. They won't surpass the 30-point target for a third time in Roscommon but Kildare should outshoot Sligo. Verdict: Kildare. Group 3. Antrim v London, Páirc Esler, 1.45pm (S. Mulhare, Laois). With neither team having yet got off the board, there is desperation in Newry and the scores being leaked by Antrim have to be a major concern for Andy McEntee. That being said, in their display against Armagh they showed battling qualities and they can serve them well to shave this final round game. Verdict: Antrim. Group 4. Fermanagh v Wexford, Croke Park, 1.45pm (D. Murnane, Cork) Live GAA+. What a bonus it is for these counties to line out in the curtain-raiser to the Dublin-Armagh game in GAA headquarters. Fermanagh have to get that surprise defeat to Carlow out of their systems, while Wexford won't want to be leapfrogged for top spot by Carlow. Verdict: Wexford Carlow v Longford, Glenisk O'Connor Park, 1.45pm (L. Devenney, Mayo). At this stage, Carlow officials must be asking why they didn't appoint Joe Murphy in the first place. Carlow are through to the last 12 on the back of a win and a draw and it doesn't seem like Longford are in a position to deny them more points. Verdict: Carlow.
