Latest news with #Crimecall
Metro
3 days ago
- Metro
Husband's tearful appeal for 'missing' wife he murdered and buried in their home
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'Tina, come home. There's nobody mad at you. My arms are open. The pets are missing you.' Richard Satchwell's eyes fill with tears as he appeals directly to wife of 27 years Tina to contact him. By that stage, in June 2017, nobody had seen or heard from Tina in months. In the Crimecall appeal, Satchwell, 58, looks straight down the camera, begging: 'I just can't go on not knowing. Even if you just ring the guards, let people know that you are all right.' But he knew exactly where she was and what had happened to her. The programme was one of more than a dozen media appearances in which Satchwell recounted his story of Tina leaving the house one morning never to return. In that time, the truck driver told her family she had walked out on him with 26,000 euro of their savings, having assaulted him throughout their marriage. It would take six years for the grim truth to emerge. Satchwell had murdered his wife at their home in Youghal, Co Cork. Within a week, he had placed her body in an unplugged chest freezer, which was kept in the shed at the back of the property in Grattan Street. He then dug a hole, measuring almost one-metre deep, under the stairs of their three-storey home. Tina's body, still wearing her pyjamas and dressing gown, was then wrapped in a black plastic sheet and placed inside the hole with her head facing down. Satchwell showed no emotion as he was found guilty of murder today. Dublin's Central Criminal Court heard he was similarly impassive on March 24, 2017, when he walked into Fermoy Garda Station to report that his wife had left him, and he had not seen her in four days. It was more than seven weeks after Tina disappeared that Satchwell formally reported her missing to gardai, and her case was upgraded to a missing persons case. Satchwell set out a story to Garda James Butler that he would stick by for almost seven years. The claims led to a lengthy investigation, which began with a search of his home in June 2017. The search, which lasted for around 11 hours, did not find anything of significance. In the year after she vanished, Satchwell embarked on a media campaign in which he spoke extensively to TV and radio journalists about Tina and the day she left their home and their marriage. According to Satchwell, it was love at first sight. He was 21 years old when he first laid eyes on Tina, a 17-year-old from Fermoy, who had moved to Coalville, near Leicester in England. She had moved to live with her grandmother and Satchwell's brother was a neighbour. Satchwell said they 'clicked', and they were together ever since. A broadcast interview played to the jury shows Satchwell taking a journalist around his home, meeting their pet parrot, Valentine. He also shows a dusty unopened bottle of Cava he bought for their anniversary. During many of his interviews and 'exchanges of information' with gardai, Satchwell repeatedly told them he believed Tina left because of a breakdown in their relationship. But he also said he believed she would return home. He claimed she would have violent outbursts that she would direct at him, and spoke about his wife's 'dark side'. He claimed he gave up a lot in his life to be with her. She did not want children, but he did, he claimed. Images of his house after Tina disappeared revealed a home that had dog faeces on the floor, unwashed dishes lying in the kitchen sink and a birdcage that had not been cleaned for a while. There was also a cement mixer in the sitting room. Satchwell later admitted that he slept on bed sheets that had not been washed in years. An upstairs room was full of clothing and clothing racks, all belonging to Tina. By June 2017, detectives suspected that Tina may have been injured or 'incapacitated by a criminal event'. Cracks also began to emerge in his well-rehearsed story. A forensic accountant said that the couple would not have been able to save 26,000 euro that he claimed she took the morning she left. CCTV and phone location data also revealed that he was not in Dungarvan on the morning of March 20. It later emerged that he had offered Tina's cousin the chest freezer he had used to store her body for a number of days. Years passed with no updates or sightings of missing Tina. Then in August 2021, Superintendent Annmarie Twomey was appointed senior investigating officer, and along with Detective Garda David Kelleher from Cobh Garda Station, she familiarised herself with the case. She identified new lines of inquiry and came to the conclusion that Tina was no longer alive – and had met her death by unlawful means. Investigators obtained a court search warrant and on October 10, 2023, gardai arrested Satchwell and began an extensive search of his home. He repeated the same story about her disappearing from their home with 26,000 euro on March 20 2017, claiming she never returned. He was released the following day, but just hours later the decomposed remains of his wife were found buried one metre underground, beneath the stairs. Suddenly, that well-rehearsed story changed. He said that on the morning of March 20 he had been up early in the morning and was working on a plumbing issue in the shed. At around 9am, the two dogs came into the shed, which, he said, meant that Tina was up. He went inside and found his wife in her dressing gown scraping at the plasterboard with a chisel. He asked her what she was doing, and she suddenly flew at him with the chisel. He said he lost his footing and fell backwards, and she was on top of him trying to stab him in the head with the chisel. All he could do to protect himself from his 5ft 4ins eight stone wife, according to Satchwell, was hold the dressing gown belt to her neck. He then held Tina's weight off him with the belt and within a matter of second, she 'falls limp and collapses into my arms'. His denial of the charge was ultimately rejected by the jury who found him guilty of murder. Speaking outside court, Tina's cousin Sarah Howard said the family 'finally have justice'. She said: 'During this trial Tina was portrayed in a way that is not true to who she was. More Trending '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. 'Tina was a kind, loving, gentle soul who loved her animals like they loved her and that is the way we want her remembered. 'Today, as a family, we finally have justice for Tina.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. 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The Independent
3 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Husband's appeal to wife he murdered and buried in their house: ‘Tina, come home'
Three months after Tina Satchwell allegedly disappeared from her Co Cork home, her husband made a tearful media appearance to beg for her return. 'Tina, come home. There's nobody mad at you,' Richard Satchwell said. 'My arms are open. The pets are missing you.' Satchwell, who had been married to Tina for 27 years, went on to say: 'I just can't go on not knowing. Even if you just ring the guards, let people know that you are all right.' The Crimecall programme, which aired in June 2017, was one of more than a dozen media appearances in which Satchwell spoke about the morning he claimed his wife left the house and never returned. Within months of his wife going missing, Satchwell, a truck driver, had convinced her family that she had deserted him, taken €26,000 of their savings and had assaulted him throughout their marriage. Her family were left angry, worried and confused as they tried to make sense of her disappearance and the person Satchwell had described as violent. It was not the Tina they knew. Within a week of murdering his wife, Satchwell had placed her body in an unplugged chest freezer, which was kept in the shed at the back of the property in Grattan Street. He then dug a hole, measuring almost one metre deep, under the stairs of their three-storey home. Tina's body, still wearing her pyjamas and dressing gown, was then wrapped in a black plastic sheet and placed inside the hole with her head facing down. On Friday 24 March 2017, a 'not overly emotional' Satchwell walked into Fermoy Garda Station to report that his wife had left him and he had not seen her in four days. Garda Conor Casey suggested making a missing person report, but Satchwell said she was 'OK'. It was more than seven weeks after Tina disappeared that Satchwell formally reported her missing to gardai, and her case was upgraded to a missing persons case. Satchwell set out a story to Garda James Butler that he would stick by for almost seven years. The claims led to a lengthy investigation, which began with a search of his home in June 2017. The search, which lasted for around 11 hours, did not find anything of significance. Over the 12 months following Tina's disappearance, Satchwell embarked on a media campaign in which he spoke extensively to TV and radio journalists about Tina and the day she left their home and their marriage. According to Satchwell, it was love at first sight. He was 21 years old when he first laid eyes on Tina, a 17-year-old from Fermoy, who had moved to Coalville, near Leicester in England. She had moved to live with her grandmother and Satchwell's brother was a neighbour. Satchwell said they 'clicked' and they were together ever since. A broadcast interview played to the jury shows Satchwell taking a journalist around his home, meeting their pet parrot, Valentine. He also shows a dusty unopened bottle of Cava he bought for their anniversary. During many of his interviews and 'exchanges of information' with gardai, Satchwell repeatedly told them he believed Tina left because of a deterioration in their relationship. But he also said he believed she would return home. He also claimed she would have violent outbursts that she would direct at him, and spoke about his wife's 'dark side'. He claimed he gave up a lot in his life to be with her. She did not want children but he did, he claimed. He told gardai that he and Tina were best friends, and spent hours and hours talking each night, about nothing specific. Images of his house after Tina disappeared revealed a home that had dog faeces on the floor, unwashed dishes lying in the kitchen sink and a birdcage that had not been cleaned for a while. There was also a cement mixer in the sitting room. Satchwell later admitted that he slept on bed sheets that had not been washed in years. An upstairs room was full of clothing and clothing racks, all belonging to Tina. By June 2017, detectives suspected that Tina may have been injured or 'incapacitated by a criminal event'. Inconsistencies also began to emerge in his story. A forensic accountant said that the couple would not have been able to save €26,000 that he claimed she took the morning she left. CCTV and phone location data also revealed that he was not in Dungarvan on the morning of 20 March. Emails on a laptop seized from his home showed that the couple had been trying to buy two marmoset monkeys from an international monkey rescue organisation. An email had been sent on the morning of 20 March claiming to be from Satchwell himself. It later emerged that he had offered Tina's cousin the chest freezer he had used to store her body for a number of days. Years passed with no updates or sightings of missing Tina. Then in August 2021, Superintendent Annmarie Twomey was appointed senior investigating officer, and along with Detective Garda David Kelleher from Cobh Garda Station, she familiarised herself with the case. She identified new lines of inquiry and came to the conclusion that Tina had met her death by unlawful means and was not a living person. Investigators obtained a court search warrant and on October 10 2023 gardai arrested Satchwell and began an extensive search of his home. He repeated the same story about her disappearing from their home with €26,000 on 20 March 2017, claiming she never returned. He was released the following day, but just hours later the decomposed remains of his wife were found buried one metre underground, beneath the stairs. Suddenly, his story changed. He said that on the morning of 20 March 2017, he had been up early in the morning and was working on a plumbing issue in the shed. At around 9am, the two dogs came into the shed, which, he said, meant that Tina was up. He went inside and found his wife in her dressing gown scraping at the plasterboard with a chisel. He asked her what she was doing and she suddenly flew at him with the chisel. He said he lost his footing and fell backwards, and she was on top of him trying to stab him in the head with the chisel. All he could do to protect himself, according to Satchwell, was hold the dressing gown belt to her neck. He then held Tina's weight off him with the belt and within a matter of seconds, she 'falls limp and collapses into my arms'. His denial of the charge was ultimately rejected by the jury who found him guilty of murder.
Evening Standard
3 days ago
- Evening Standard
‘Tina, come home' – husband's appeal to wife who was buried in their house
In the Crimecall appeal, the 58-year-old looks directly into the camera and pleads: 'I just can't go on not knowing. Even if you just ring the guards, let people know that you are all right.'
Sunday World
21-05-2025
- Sunday World
Richard Satchwell offered wife's cousin the freezer he had stored her body in, trial told
Sarah Howard said Mr Satchwell wouldn't 'be the kind to just give stuff' after being offered the same freezer in which he later said he kept the body of his wife. Tina Satchwell's cousin became emotional today as she told the Central Criminal Court how murder accused Richard Satchwell offered her the same freezer in which he later said he kept the body of his wife before burying her beneath their home. The witness began to cry as she told the trial jury that she thought the message was "very unusual and very strange". She said Mr Satchwell wouldn't "be the kind to just give stuff". Sarah Howard also told the trial today that she had "never" witnessed Tina Satchwell being violent or aggressive. The witness also agreed with defence counsel that Mr Satchwell hand delivered a birthday card to her in August 2017 - five months after Tina Satchwell's disappearance - and it had been signed off with "Tina and Richard". At the conclusion of Ms Howard's evidence, counsel for the State told the jury that the prosecution's case was now at an end. 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 - nee Dingivan - at that address between March 19 and March 20, 2017, both dates inclusive. The trial has heard that on March 24, 2017, Mr Satchwell told gardai that his wife Tina had left their home four days earlier but that he had no concerns over her welfare, feeling she had left due to a deterioration in their relationship. Richard Satchwell during his appeal on RTÉ's Crimecall. News in 90 seconds - 21st May The accused formally reported Ms Satchwell missing the following May but her body was not discovered for over six years, when gardai in October 2023 conducting "an invasive search" of the Satchwell home found her decomposed remains in a grave that had been dug underneath the stairs. When re-arrested on suspicion of Tina's murder after her body was removed from their Cork home, Mr Satchwell told gardai that his wife "flew" at him with a chisel, that he fell backwards against the floor and described her death after he said he held her off by the belt of her bathrobe at her neck. In interview with gardai, Mr Satchwell described how he had put Tina's body inside a large chest freezer in the shed two days later. Giving evidence today, Sarah Howard told Gerardine Small SC, prosecuting, that her mother and Tina's mother are sisters. Ms Howard said she would have been very close to Tina growing up as they both lived in Fermoy. Asked to describe Tina, the witness described her cousin as kind-hearted, loving, a family person, social, bubbly and someone who loved animals; "a genuinely lovely person". In a video clip of RTE's "Prime Time Investigates" from January 25, 2018, Ms Howard tells journalist Barry Cummins that her cousin had never gone missing before and that she didn't know what had happened to her. Ms Howard describes Tina's disappearance as "a puzzle, a complete mystery" and said it was tearing the family apart not knowing where Tina was. She finished off the interview by telling Mr Cummins that "someone has to know something" and that someone "can't just disappear". Ms Howard could be seen crying in the witness stand and wiping tears away as she watched the interview. The witness said she last saw Tina before Christmas in 2016 and described her cousin as being "in great form" and "very happy". She said Tina didn't go anywhere without her dogs. Tina Satchwell. The prosecutor asked Ms Howard about March 26, 2017, the day she found out that Tina was missing. "I had called to my mother's house and I found out Tina was missing, I rang her phone straight away. When she didn't answer, I rang Richard's phone". The witness said she asked Richard where Tina was, why the dogs weren't with her and what had happened. "It was very unusual that the dogs were there, Richard just said they had an argument and she had left him," said Ms Howard. Asked whether Mr Satchwell gave any details in relation to the circumstances surrounding Tina leaving, Ms Howard said the accused man told her that Tina had thrown "a cup or something at him". The witness added: "He said she took a sum of money, that a sum of money was missing and he found her keys on the floor outside the house. She had sent him on an errand to Dungarvan; he said suitcases were missing". Ms Howard also told the jury that Richard said the couple had been at a car boot sale on the Sunday before she went missing and that Tina commented to him that she had wasted 28 years with him. "But I never heard any of that before," added the witness. "In relation to violence, Richard told you Tina had thrown cups at him?" asked Ms Small. Ms Howard agreed but again said "she had never heard that before". A print out of text messages from Mr Satchwell's phone of text messages between him and Ms Howard was shown to the witness, including where she had tried calling the accused on March 26, 2017. On March 26, a message was sent from the accused to Ms Howard saying: "Sarah did you contact Mag, Sindy and Teresa have not heard anything from Tina". The witness told the jury that these women were her aunts and a cousin. On March 30, Mr Satchwell sent a text message to Ms Howard saying: "Sarah do you want our big chest freezer?". Ms Howard told the jury she had not responded to this text message as she thought it was "very unusual and very strange", and began to cry on the stand. The witness said Richard wouldn't "be the kind to just give stuff". She added: "We were at a car boot sale once and my two children were with me. Richard was at his stall and Tina was looking around and buying. I think the kids picked up nail varnish and a CD [from Richard's stall]. He charged them 50 cents". Ms Howard told the jury: "So when I was offered something like that for free I thought it was very unusual." The next text message was sent on April 10, where Mr Satchwell told that he discovered a "birth cert and marriage cert" were gone. On June 27, Mr Satchwell sent another text message to Ms Howard saying: "I know Tina is your family and I'm not so please try to understand that I love her with all my being. She's only my wife, she is my life and my best friend, my everything. I'm finding it difficult to get through the days. You know that I cry all the time even now writing this...I feel I let her down in some way". On July 2, the accused sent Ms Howard a text message saying he was setting up a website dedicated to Tina "where we decide what goes on it". Ten days later, Mr Satchwell sent another message saying: "Sarah I've just pulled into Tesco there is the same suitcase that Tina took with her, same size too. Richard". Ms Howard told the prosecutor that she didn't have any further communication with Richard after this message. "Did you ever witness Tina being violent or aggressive?" asked Ms Small, to which Ms Howard replied: "never." In cross-examination, Brendan Grehan SC, asked the witness if it was fair to say Richard appeared to be "devoted" to Tina. Ms Howard said he was. The defence counsel put it to Ms Howard she had said in her statement that Richard was "besotted if not obsessed" with Tina. The witness said Richard was always with her cousin when she was visiting. "Before Tina's remains were discovered, you said he was so obsessed and besotted with her that he couldn't have caused her harm?" asked Mr Grehan. "That was before," replied the witness. She agreed that Tina was close to her grandmother Florence, as she had effectively raised her. The witness agreed with Mr Grehan that Tina thought her grandmother Florence was her mother for a long time and would have called Florence her mother. Asked about her cousin Lorraine Howard, Ms Howard said Lorraine was a half-sister to Tina but had fallen out with her. The witness said she didn't know why this happened. The witness was asked whether she remembered gardai asking her why there had been a falling out with Tina and her family in 2006. Mr Grehan told the witness: "I think you indicated the only incident you remember is that Tina was given up by her mother Mary Collins and raised by her grandmother Florence?". Counsel put it to Ms Howard that Tina was very resentful when she found out about this. The witness said she couldn't say. She recalled Richard telling her after the disappearance that Tina had been very violent. The witness agreed she had told gardai that Richard said Tina used to throw cups at him and he said he had a lot of scars on his head, but she didn't believe Tina was violent. Ms Howard said she had never seen Tina violent. Earlier, Garda Clinton Rock told Ms Small that he took photos at Cobh Garda Station in February 2025 of the dressing gown and belt found on Tina Satchwell's body. The garda said he had removed the dressing gown from an evidence bag and it was in a very poor state. He said he had searched both pockets of the dressing gown and no items were found. Under cross-examination, the garda agreed with Mr Grehan that the dressing gown was too frail or brittle to be examined by a forensic scientist when it was recovered in October 2023 and is now considered a "biohazard". Mr Grehan put it to the witness that the dressing gown was in a far worse state in February 2025 then when it was recovered in October 2023. The garda said there was a fungus growing on it. "It also appears to be disintegrating in parts, do I take it that includes the pockets?" asked Mr Grehan. The garda said he didn't find any holes in the pockets but it wouldn't take much for the dressing gown to fall apart. The witness agreed it was possible that if there was a ring in one of the pockets it could have fallen out. He further agreed the knot on the belt was never opened so there wasn't a true measurement of the belt available. Tina Satchwell The trial has heard that Mr Satchwell told gardai that Tina's wedding ring was in a pocket of her dressing gown, but no wedding ring was documented during the post mortem of the deceased's remains. The next witness, now retired Garda Inspector Sean Leahy said he received a phone call from Mr Satchwell on July 12, 2017. The accused told him he was in a Tesco car park in Youghal and two suitcases in the recycling area were very similar to two suitcases Tina had with her when she left in March 2017. Mr Leahy said he rang Youghal Garda Station and asked a garda to meet him. Garda Susan Nolan said she met the accused on July 12 in the car park in Youghal and he had pointed out two cases by the recycling bins. "He said they were similar suitcases to what was at the house but they weren't actually theirs". The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of five men and seven women.
Rhyl Journal
21-05-2025
- Rhyl Journal
Tina Satchwell's cousin never saw her be ‘violent or aggressive', court told
Sarah Howard also told the court that she thought it was 'strange' that her cousin's husband, Richard Satchwell, had offered her a chest freezer in the weeks after she disappeared. Satchwell, of Grattan Street in Youghal, is accused of murdering his wife between March 19 and 20, 2017. The 58-year-old, who is originally from Leicester in England, denies the charge. Mrs Satchwell's remains were found under the stairs in the living room of their Co Cork home in October 2023, six years after Satchwell reported her missing. Giving evidence at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin, Ms Howard was asked by prosecution barrister Gerardine Small if she had ever witnessed Mrs Satchwell being violent or aggressive, to which she replied: 'Never.' Ms Howard said she was 'very close' to her cousin, that they would have spent a lot time together, going swimming, walking the dogs and going around the shops in Fermoy. Asked to describe her, she said Mrs Satchwell was 'kind-hearted, loving, a family person' who loved animals – that she was 'bubbly, social' and a 'genuinely lovely person'. She became emotional when she watched footage taken from RTE's Crimecall aired after Mrs Satchwell went missing. Ms Howard said her cousin used to visit her at her home, but that she did not see her as much after the couple moved to Youghal in May 2016. She last saw Mrs Satchwell shortly before Christmas in 2016, and said that she was on 'great form', and that she 'always had the dogs'. She told the court she first heard her cousin was missing after Satchwell called her mother's home in Fermoy on March 26, 2017. After learning that she was missing, she rang Mrs Satchwell's phone but there was no answer. She then contact Satchwell and asked where she was and what had happened to her, adding it was unusual that she left the dogs. Satchwell told her that there had been an argument and she had left him. He claimed during the phone call that she had thrown a cup at him and taken a sum of money, and that two suitcases were missing from their home. She also gave evidence that Satchwell told her they had been at a car boot sale the previous weeks and that Mrs Satchwell had told him she had wasted 28 years with him. 'I never heard any of that before,' Ms Howard told the court. When Ms Small asked whether she had ever heard of cups being thrown before, she replied: 'Never.' She also said in her evidence that on March 30, 2017 she received a text message from Satchwell offering her 'their big chest freezer' for free. She said she did not respond and when asked why, as she thought it was unusual. 'I thought it was very strange. He is not the kind to give stuff.' She recalled how she once went to a car boot sale with her two children, where Satchwell had a stall. The court was told that her children picked up a CD and nail varnish and Satchwell charged them 50 cents each for the items. 'So when I was offered something for free like that I thought it was very unusual,' she added. A number of text exchanges between Satchwell and Ms Howard in the months after Mrs Satchwell went missing were read to the court. Ms Howard asked Satchwell several times whether there was any news about his wife. She said she used to spent a lot of time with her cousin, that she would often take her away and into their local town, including the time she got her ears pierced when she was four or five. She agreed that the loss of Mrs Satchwell has deeply affected her. Asked if she would describe Satchwell as being besotted and obsessed with his wife, she replied: 'I suppose. He was always with her.' Mr Grehan said that in a statement she made to gardai after Mrs Satchwell went missing, she said that Satchwell was 'so obsessed with Tina that he couldn't have caused her harm'. 'That was before,' Ms Howard replied in court. Asked whether others in her family had seen Mrs Satchwell display violent behaviour, she said she was not sure. The prosecution has now concluded its evidence. The trial continues.
