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The Journal
3 days ago
- The Journal
Tina Satchwell's family pay tribute to 'loving and gentle soul' and say trial 'did not portray who she was'
THE FAMILY Of Tina Satchwell has said that their 'precious sister, cousin, auntie and daughter' was portrayed in a way during the trial that was 'not true to who she was'. Tina, 45, was murdered by her husband and buried in a secret grave beneath the stairs of their home. Richard Satchwell was today found guilty of murdering his wife of 25 years . Throughout the trial, the jury heard evidence that Satchwell told gardaí that Tina had hit him on a number of occasions throughout their marriage, but he had never hit her back. Later, Tina's half-sister Lorraine Howard said Satchwell was 'possessive' over his wife, whose circle of friends got 'smaller and smaller' during their marriage. Tina's cousin Sarah Howard later claimed she had 'never' witnessed Tina being violent. Speaking outside the Criminal Courts of Justice building today, Lorraine Howard made a statement on behalf of the family. She said: 'We would like to thank the judge and Tina's [legal] team Gerardine Small, Imelda Kelly, Maria Brosnan and Catherine McAleer. Their hard work and professionalism shone through like the classy ladies that you are'. 'We will never be able to put into words how thankful we are for you. We want to sincerely thank the judge and jury for their dedication. We would like to thank all the witnesses who helped us reach this verdict today'. Advertisement Tina's cousin, Sarah Howard then made a statement, telling the media: '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 lives meant so much to us all. We as a family can never put into words the impact her loss has had on us. 'Tina was a kind, loving and gentle soul, who loved her animals like they loved her and that's the way we want her remembered. 'Today as a family we finally have justice for Tina and at this time our family would like to ask for privacy to begin our healing. Thank you'. Loraine said: 'I would like to personally thank Sarah Howard, who came up to give evidence and her support two weeks postpartum with a beautiful baby girl, you did yourself and Tina proud. She concluded her statement by thanking the lead detectives in the case: 'Thank you to Anne Marie Twomey and David Kelleher for putting the pieces together and finding Tina'. The 12 jurors took nine hours and 28 minutes over four days to convict Satchwell, a British national born on 16 June 1966, who is soon to turn 59. The unanimous jury verdict was met with sobs from members of Tina's family. The trial heard that on 24 March 2017, Satchwell told gardaí that 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. Satchwell formally reported Tina missing the following May, but her body was not discovered for over six years, when gardaí in October 2023 conducting a second, invasive search of the Satchwell home.
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
‘We finally have justice' – Family of Tina Satchwell speak out as husband Richard convicted of her brutal murder
Key updates Watch: Family of Tina Satchwell speak after guilty verdict In Profile: Tina Satchwell - 'she was loved, happy' In Profile: Richard Satchwell - a bundle of contradictions The six brazen lies that sealed Richard Satchwell's fate – and how holes were poked in his stories Richard Satchwell to be sentenced for his wife's murder on June 4 LATEST: Richard Satchwell convicted of wife's murder and now faces life in prison Richard Satchwell (58) has been found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury of the murder of his wife Tina (45) whose body was discovered buried under the stairwell of their Youghal, Co Cork home. The jury returned a unanimous verdict after nine hours and 28 minutes of deliberations following a five week trial. Satchwell now faces mandatory life in prison. The English truck driver kept his head bowed as the Central Criminal Court jury returned a guilty verdict on the 23rd day of the Central Criminal Court murder trial. Mr Justice Paul McDermott was told that the jury of seven women and five men had reached a unanimous guilty verdict. The jury had commenced their deliberations at 3.05pm on Tuesday and returned with their verdict on Friday afternoon. He pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife at a time unknown on March 19/20, 2017, at his home at No 3 Grattan Street in Youghal, Co Cork, contrary to Common Law. Satchwell has been in custody since he was first charged on October 14, 2023, with his wife Tina's murder. However, sentencing will be adjourned to allow for the preparation of expert reports – and for the Fermoy woman's family to consider the delivery of victim-impact statements at the sentencing hearing. For six-and-a-half years the truck driver had told 'lie upon lie upon lie' as he maintained his wife had gone missing from their Youghal home on March 20, 2017, with two suitcases and €26,000 in their life savings. He informed gardaí in Fermoy four days later that she had disappeared from the family home – at the very time her body was in a chest freezer awaiting burial. His insistence his wife had disappeared prompted a six-and-a-half-year missing-person investigation which included major offshore searches and a week-long trawl of an east Cork woodland in 2018. The murder trial opened at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin on April 28. It sat for five weeks and the jury heard from a total of 57 witnesses as well as watching multiple video and audio interviews Satchwell had conducted with gardaí and Irish media organisations including the Irish Independent. The jury were told Satchwell had drawn in 'anyone who would listen to him' to promote his false narrative that his wife was missing, possibly running off with another man. He conducted lengthy interviews with the Irish Independent, RTÉ, TV3/Virgin Media, Today FM, Red FM, 96FM and CRY FM. Prosecutor Gerardine Small SC said his account was full of 'guile', clever lies and 'conniving' behaviour. She described him to the jury as 'an arch-manipulator'. Leicester-born truck driver Satchwell also spoke from March 2017 about how his wife had regularly beat him – telling a man at a car-boot sale six days after his wife's death that she was 'a street angel and a house devil'. He also floated stories that she was depressed, had possible mental health issues and may have had an affair with a Polish man. Satchwell gave multiple interviews to television and radio stations, but visibly disliked newspaper journalists – once commenting that they were 'mentally incapable of reporting what I say'. Two members of Ms Satchwell's family gave evidence to the trial including her cousin, Sarah Howard, and her half-sibling, Lorraine Howard. Sarah Howard sobbed during her evidence when asked about Satchwell offering her for free the chest freezer in which he had temporarily stored his wife's body before later burying her under the stairs. Prosecutors said this offer was 'cynical' – while even Mr Satchwell's own counsel, Brendan Grehan SC, described his actions after his wife's death as 'reprehensible and disreputable'. The trial heard that Satchwell later placed an advert on Done Deal for a chest freezer weeks after his wife's death which he said was free if collected and that it 'just needs a clean'. Sarah Howard said she was very suspicious of the claim Ms Satchwell had left home with the €26,000 – insisting she would never go anywhere without her beloved dogs, Heidi and Ruby, who were left behind in the Youghal property. Jurors also heard that the Satchwell's pets – including the dogs and a parrot – were like their children. Ms Satchwell had wanted to adopt two marmoset monkeys, Terry and Thelma, but the trial heard her husband had sent a significant amount of money for the animals to an international monkey organisation which was probably a scam. Lorraine Howard said she did not like the way Mr Satchwell referred to her half-sibling initially as his 'trophy girlfriend' and latterly as his 'trophy wife'. She said Tina Satchwell also confided to her that she could not get away from her husband. 'She knew she could not get away from him. She would confide in me that he would follow her to the ends of the Earth – she could not get away from him,' she said. 'He [Satchwell] knew she was above his league – his words not mine. He would tell everyone that. He would never go off with anyone else. Even if she came back in the door after all she had put him through, he would take her back.' The truck driver told gardaí his wife regularly assaulted him and that, just days before she went missing, had told him: 'I wasted 28 years of my life with you.' He said he was 'besotted' with his wife and catered to her every need – including bathing her each evening and rubbing oil on her body while she lay naked on the bed. Further, he claimed he was twice arrested for shoplifting clothing he thought his wife wanted. Satchwell maintained his wife had gone missing for six-and-a-half years, but sobbed as he changed his story to gardaí on October 12, 2023, as an intensive search of his home finally revealed his wife's secret grave under the stairs. That search was ordered by Garda Superintendent Ann Marie Twomey who assumed responsibility for the case in 2021. With Detective Garda David Kelleher, she conducted a full review of the case file and consulted with forensic archaeologist Dr Niamh McCullagh who focused her doctoral studies on domestic homicides in Ireland and where bodies were stored in cases where the assailant tried to evade detection. The trial heard Dr McCullagh recommended an invasive search of the three-storey Youghal property with particular attention being paid to an area under the stairwell. Satchwell's house was previously searched on June 7, 2017, by a 10-strong team of gardaí. One detective photographed the area under the stairs – including the shoddily built brick wall which Satchwell had erected to conceal his wife's burial site. However, gardaí did not conduct an invasive search of the property and Ms Satchwell's body would not be found for a further six years. Gardaí did seize a number of laptops and mobile phones at the property and these would prove crucial in the subsequent investigation. Detectives learned Satchwell had conducted an internet search about quicklime on March 20, 2017, and later watched a YouTube video of the effects of combining quicklime with water. He also sent emails – after his wife was already dead – claiming she was about to leave him over the failure to secure the two pet monkeys she wanted. Gardaí also noted six key lies which Mr Satchwell had told about his relationship with his wife and the circumstances of her disappearance. Supt Twomey's four-day search from October 10, 2023, involved contracted builders, ground-mapping radar, forensic archaeologists, the Garda Technical Bureau and, crucially, a Northern Ireland-trained cadaver dog, Fern. The dog immediately focused on the area under the stairwell and, when gardaí broke through a concrete slab, discovered Tina Satchwell's skeletonised and mummified body which had been buried in an old blanket and heavy-grade plastic. She had been buried face-down along with her purse, containing several identity cards. When confronted with the discovery, Satchwell sobbed to gardaí that he had acted in self-defence after his wife attacked him with a chisel. He claimed he fell to the ground and held his wife away from him with his outstretched hands – and she went limp after the belt of her dressing gown went up around her neck with the full weight of her body bearing down upon it. However, he insisted to gardaí he could not remember details of how his wife died – and refused to re-enact the manner of her death to detectives. He maintained he acted entirely in self-defence and was 'fearful' he would be stabbed in the head. Mr Small SC dismissed the account as 'self-serving' and 'farcical' – and claimed Satchwell was once again lying to protect himself. Assistant state pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster, who has performed over 30,000 post-mortem examinations, could not determine a cause of death for Ms Satchwell such was the skeletonised, badly decomposed and partly mummified condition of her remains. Forensic anthropologist Dr Laureen Buckley confirmed that no fractures were detected on the remains – and no bones showed any sign of old fractures having healed. Satchwell explained to detectives that, when he buried his wife with fresh tulips under the stairwell of their home, it was like 'a genuine funeral'. 'When I was burying Tina… it was the final goodbye… I wanted to make her comfortable,' he told gardaí. 'I spent the night [March 20] on the floor, with Tina laying across me. I spent the night sitting on the ground, holding Tina's dead body. I didn't have food, nothing. I just held Tina all night. 'I have a conscience… I still dream of Tina. I have not lost the desire to be with her.' He maintained he had been subjected to a campaign of domestic violence by his wife over the course of their marriage and was left with cuts, bruises, swellings, scratches and even bite marks. Satchwell claimed he had teeth broken from blows by his wife – and said she had knocked him unconscious on two occasions. He replied to gardaí when first charged with the murder of his wife at Cobh garda station on October 13, 2023: 'Guilty or not guilty – guilty.' Ms Small, in her closing argument, noted that Satchwell had given a more respectful funeral to their dog Heidi than he had to the wife he claimed he had loved from first sight. Ralph Riegel Today 08:35 AM Today 08:21 AM Today 08:21 AM Tina Satchwell, pictured in younger years, with one of her beloved pets Today 08:20 AM In Profile: Tina Satchwell - 'she was loved, happy' 'She was loved, happy, a lovely young girl' – Tina Satchwell remembered as an outgoing person known for her sense of style, Catherine Fegan writes Read the full article here: 'She was loved, happy, a lovely young girl' – Tina Satchwell remembered as an outgoing person known for her sense of style With her flamboyant sense of fashion and peroxide-blonde hair, Tina Satchwell cut a striking figure as she walked around the coastal town of Youghal in Co Cork. Today 08:18 AM In Profile: Richard Satchwell - a bundle of contradictions A bundle of contradictions – how Richard Satchwell promoted himself as devoted, while others saw a controlling husband, Ralph Riegel writes A bundle of contradictions – how Richard Satchwell promoted himself as devoted, while others saw a controlling husband Manipulative, obsessive, cunning, devoted, thoughtful, cynical and a skilled liar – Richard Satchell (58) emerged from his Central Criminal Court murder trial as a mass of contradictions. Today 08:17 AM Today 08:16 AM Today 08:15 AM The six brazen lies that sealed Richard Satchwell's fate – and how holes were poked in his stories Six lies ultimately helped gardaí rip apart Richard Satchwell's intricate web of deceit, Ralph Riegel writes. The six brazen lies that sealed Richard Satchwell's fate – and how GPs and car-boot sale enthusiasts poked holes in his stories Six lies ultimately helped gardaí rip apart the intricate web of deceit that Richard Satchwell (58) had woven over the true fate of his wife Tina (45). Today 08:14 AM Richard Satchwell to be sentenced for his wife's murder on June 4 Mr Satchwell has been in custody since he was first charged with his wife's murder on October 14 2023. Sentencing was adjourned to June 4 to allow for the preparation of expert reports - and for the Fermoy woman's family to prepare the delivery of victim impact statements for the sentencing hearing. Several members of Ms Satchwell's family broke down and wept in court as the guilty verdict was confirmed. Ralph Riegel
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
Richard Satchwell convicted of murdering his wife Tina; sentencing to take place next week
LATEST: Richard Satchwell convicted of wife's murder and now faces life in prison Richard Satchwell (58) has been found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury of the murder of his wife Tina (45) whose body was discovered buried under the stairwell of their Youghal, Co Cork home. The jury returned a unanimous verdict after nine hours and 28 minutes of deliberations following a five week trial. Satchwell now faces mandatory life in prison. The English truck driver kept his head bowed as the Central Criminal Court jury returned a guilty verdict on the 23rd day of the Central Criminal Court murder trial. Mr Justice Paul McDermott was told that the jury of seven women and five men had reached a unanimous guilty verdict. The jury had commenced their deliberations at 3.05pm on Tuesday and returned with their verdict on Friday afternoon. He pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife at a time unknown on March 19/20, 2017, at his home at No 3 Grattan Street in Youghal, Co Cork, contrary to Common Law. Satchwell has been in custody since he was first charged on October 14, 2023, with his wife Tina's murder. However, sentencing will be adjourned to allow for the preparation of expert reports – and for the Fermoy woman's family to consider the delivery of victim-impact statements at the sentencing hearing. For six-and-a-half years the truck driver had told 'lie upon lie upon lie' as he maintained his wife had gone missing from their Youghal home on March 20, 2017, with two suitcases and €26,000 in their life savings. He informed gardaí in Fermoy four days later that she had disappeared from the family home – at the very time her body was in a chest freezer awaiting burial. His insistence his wife had disappeared prompted a six-and-a-half-year missing-person investigation which included major offshore searches and a week-long trawl of an east Cork woodland in 2018. The murder trial opened at the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin on April 28. It sat for five weeks and the jury heard from a total of 57 witnesses as well as watching multiple video and audio interviews Satchwell had conducted with gardaí and Irish media organisations including the Irish Independent. The jury were told Satchwell had drawn in 'anyone who would listen to him' to promote his false narrative that his wife was missing, possibly running off with another man. He conducted lengthy interviews with the Irish Independent, RTÉ, TV3/Virgin Media, Today FM, Red FM, 96FM and CRY FM. Prosecutor Gerardine Small SC said his account was full of 'guile', clever lies and 'conniving' behaviour. She described him to the jury as 'an arch-manipulator'. Leicester-born truck driver Satchwell also spoke from March 2017 about how his wife had regularly beat him – telling a man at a car-boot sale six days after his wife's death that she was 'a street angel and a house devil'. He also floated stories that she was depressed, had possible mental health issues and may have had an affair with a Polish man. Satchwell gave multiple interviews to television and radio stations, but visibly disliked newspaper journalists – once commenting that they were 'mentally incapable of reporting what I say'. Two members of Ms Satchwell's family gave evidence to the trial including her cousin, Sarah Howard, and her half-sibling, Lorraine Howard. Sarah Howard sobbed during her evidence when asked about Satchwell offering her for free the chest freezer in which he had temporarily stored his wife's body before later burying her under the stairs. Prosecutors said this offer was 'cynical' – while even Mr Satchwell's own counsel, Brendan Grehan SC, described his actions after his wife's death as 'reprehensible and disreputable'. The trial heard that Satchwell later placed an advert on Done Deal for a chest freezer weeks after his wife's death which he said was free if collected and that it 'just needs a clean'. Sarah Howard said she was very suspicious of the claim Ms Satchwell had left home with the €26,000 – insisting she would never go anywhere without her beloved dogs, Heidi and Ruby, who were left behind in the Youghal property. Jurors also heard that the Satchwell's pets – including the dogs and a parrot – were like their children. Ms Satchwell had wanted to adopt two marmoset monkeys, Terry and Thelma, but the trial heard her husband had sent a significant amount of money for the animals to an international monkey organisation which was probably a scam. Lorraine Howard said she did not like the way Mr Satchwell referred to her half-sibling initially as his 'trophy girlfriend' and latterly as his 'trophy wife'. She said Tina Satchwell also confided to her that she could not get away from her husband. 'She knew she could not get away from him. She would confide in me that he would follow her to the ends of the Earth – she could not get away from him,' she said. 'He [Satchwell] knew she was above his league – his words not mine. He would tell everyone that. He would never go off with anyone else. Even if she came back in the door after all she had put him through, he would take her back.' The truck driver told gardaí his wife regularly assaulted him and that, just days before she went missing, had told him: 'I wasted 28 years of my life with you.' He said he was 'besotted' with his wife and catered to her every need – including bathing her each evening and rubbing oil on her body while she lay naked on the bed. Further, he claimed he was twice arrested for shoplifting clothing he thought his wife wanted. Satchwell maintained his wife had gone missing for six-and-a-half years, but sobbed as he changed his story to gardaí on October 12, 2023, as an intensive search of his home finally revealed his wife's secret grave under the stairs. That search was ordered by Garda Superintendent Ann Marie Twomey who assumed responsibility for the case in 2021. With Detective Garda David Kelleher, she conducted a full review of the case file and consulted with forensic archaeologist Dr Niamh McCullagh who focused her doctoral studies on domestic homicides in Ireland and where bodies were stored in cases where the assailant tried to evade detection. The trial heard Dr McCullagh recommended an invasive search of the three-storey Youghal property with particular attention being paid to an area under the stairwell. Satchwell's house was previously searched on June 7, 2017, by a 10-strong team of gardaí. One detective photographed the area under the stairs – including the shoddily built brick wall which Satchwell had erected to conceal his wife's burial site. However, gardaí did not conduct an invasive search of the property and Ms Satchwell's body would not be found for a further six years. Gardaí did seize a number of laptops and mobile phones at the property and these would prove crucial in the subsequent investigation. Detectives learned Satchwell had conducted an internet search about quicklime on March 20, 2017, and later watched a YouTube video of the effects of combining quicklime with water. He also sent emails – after his wife was already dead – claiming she was about to leave him over the failure to secure the two pet monkeys she wanted. Gardaí also noted six key lies which Mr Satchwell had told about his relationship with his wife and the circumstances of her disappearance. Supt Twomey's four-day search from October 10, 2023, involved contracted builders, ground-mapping radar, forensic archaeologists, the Garda Technical Bureau and, crucially, a Northern Ireland-trained cadaver dog, Fern. The dog immediately focused on the area under the stairwell and, when gardaí broke through a concrete slab, discovered Tina Satchwell's skeletonised and mummified body which had been buried in an old blanket and heavy-grade plastic. She had been buried face-down along with her purse, containing several identity cards. When confronted with the discovery, Satchwell sobbed to gardaí that he had acted in self-defence after his wife attacked him with a chisel. He claimed he fell to the ground and held his wife away from him with his outstretched hands – and she went limp after the belt of her dressing gown went up around her neck with the full weight of her body bearing down upon it. However, he insisted to gardaí he could not remember details of how his wife died – and refused to re-enact the manner of her death to detectives. He maintained he acted entirely in self-defence and was 'fearful' he would be stabbed in the head. Mr Small SC dismissed the account as 'self-serving' and 'farcical' – and claimed Satchwell was once again lying to protect himself. Assistant state pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster, who has performed over 30,000 post-mortem examinations, could not determine a cause of death for Ms Satchwell such was the skeletonised, badly decomposed and partly mummified condition of her remains. Forensic anthropologist Dr Laureen Buckley confirmed that no fractures were detected on the remains – and no bones showed any sign of old fractures having healed. Satchwell explained to detectives that, when he buried his wife with fresh tulips under the stairwell of their home, it was like 'a genuine funeral'. 'When I was burying Tina… it was the final goodbye… I wanted to make her comfortable,' he told gardaí. 'I spent the night [March 20] on the floor, with Tina laying across me. I spent the night sitting on the ground, holding Tina's dead body. I didn't have food, nothing. I just held Tina all night. 'I have a conscience… I still dream of Tina. I have not lost the desire to be with her.' He maintained he had been subjected to a campaign of domestic violence by his wife over the course of their marriage and was left with cuts, bruises, swellings, scratches and even bite marks. Satchwell claimed he had teeth broken from blows by his wife – and said she had knocked him unconscious on two occasions. He replied to gardaí when first charged with the murder of his wife at Cobh garda station on October 13, 2023: 'Guilty or not guilty – guilty.' Ms Small, in her closing argument, noted that Satchwell had given a more respectful funeral to their dog Heidi than he had to the wife he claimed he had loved from first sight. Ralph Riegel
Sunday World
3 days ago
- Sunday World
Gardaí set sights on cartel chief Daniel Kinahan after right-hand man is charged on extradition from Dubai
Sean McGovern (39) is the most senior member of the crime group to appear in an Irish court after he was charged with murder and directing a crime gang. The Air Corps plane arrives at Baldonnel, Dublin with Sean McGovern following his extradition from Dubai. Photo: Gerry Mooney Members of the garda armed support unit outside the Criminal Courts of Justice in Dublin yesterday, ahead of the court appearance of Sean McGovern. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA Wire Gardaí are confident of extraditing cartel leader Daniel Kinahan back to Ireland after his closest confidant was returned from Dubai to face serious charges. Sean McGovern (39) is the most senior member of the crime group to appear in an Irish court after he was charged with murder and directing a crime gang. The Crumlin man was arrested last October and finally removed from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following a protracted legal and diplomatic process. Daniel Kinahan His removal from the UAE, long considered a safe haven for Irish criminals, has now given renewed confidence to detectives that his boss Daniel Kinahan can be returned. The State's prosecution service and a special counsel are understood to still be reviewing a lengthy file received nearly two years ago on Daniel Kinahan and his younger brother Christy, to determine if they should face prosecution. Gardaí have recommended that they be charged with directing a criminal organisation, which carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment on conviction. Sean McGovern Sources have described this as an 'all-encompassing' charge which reflects a wide range of offending including murder and conspiracy to murder as well as drugs and firearms offences. 'The decision lies with the DPP on whether to charge, but gardaí are confident that if this does happen, the Kinahans will be extradited back here,' a source said. The gang's leadership continues to reside in the emirate, although there are concerns that they could now move to a state more hostile to Western interests on the back of McGovern's extradition. It opens the door for future co-operation Acting Garda Commissioner Shawna Coxon last night described it as a 'precedent-setting case' and that they have signed a memorandum of understanding 'which opens the door for future co-operation'. Ms Coxon also said she 'can't speak to any specific investigation' when asked if gardaí were any further to preferring charges against the Kinahan leadership. Earlier she said that gardaí have developed 'major international partnerships' to target international crime gangs. This includes at judicial level with the UAE and a police-to-police basis which is of value, adding that it is something they will continue to develop. Ms Coxon also acknowledged the assistance of the Irish Air Corps for its 'valued co-operating in this operation'. Last night, Sean McGovern was brought before the Special Criminal Court amid a heavy armed garda presence to be formally charged. He is accused of the murder of innocent grandfather Noel Kirwan (62) in December 2016, and related offences of directing and facilitating a crime gang to carry out that murder. Noel Kirwan, who was shot dead in December 2016, and Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch McGovern is further accused of directing a crime gang to carry out surveillance on Hutch associate James 'Mago' Gately between October 2015 and April 2017, and assisting that gang conspire to murder him. Defence barrister Olan Callanan BL told the court that they were reserving their position in relation to the lawfulness of McGovern's arrest and the jurisdiction of the court. Detective Sergeant Donal Daly gave evidence of arresting the accused for the purposes of charging him and explained that the DPP certified that he should be charged before the non-jury court. The accused, dressed in a grey T-shirt, grey tracksuit bottoms, socks and sandals, only addressed the court to say 'yes' when asked to confirm he was Sean McGovern. No application for bail was made as this can only be sought before the High Court on charges of murder or organised crime offences. Ms Justice Karen O'Connor, presiding, remanded McGovern in custody and he is due to appear before the court again on June 5.
Sunday World
4 days ago
- Sunday World
Sean McGovern to spend first night in Irish jail as neighbour of evil double killer
A cell was prepared for the Kinahan Cartel's number 2 in Portlaoise Prison's A5 wing in cell 8 where he will be held as he awaits trial. Extradited murder accused Sean McGovern is due to spend his first night in an Irish jail as a neighbour of double killer Yousef Palani. A cell was prepared for the Kinahan Cartel's number 2 in Portlaoise Prison's A5 wing in cell 8 where he will be held as he awaits trial. Measures were also taking place to secure his route to the exercise yard so he could not be targeted by drone equipment. Contractors were brought into the jail to make alterations to the walkway at the last minute to cover it. Yousef Palani The cell next door to Palani, who horrifically murdered two gay men in Sligo 2022, is a far cry from the plush residences he has enjoyed since fleeing to Dubai in 2016. McGovern was returned to Ireland today and brought to the Special Criminal Court where he was charged with the murder of Noel 'Duck' Egg Kirwan in December 2016 at the height of the Hutch/Kinahan feud. Plan carrying Sean McGovern lands in Dublin. Photo: Collins The 39-year-old was also charged with directing a criminal organisation involved in the conspiracy to murder Hutch associate James 'Mago' Gately. Last minute preparations for his arrival were still underway at Portlaoise Jail as he appeared in the court this evening. Palani was given two life sentences for the murders of Aidan Moffitt and Michael Snee who died within two days of one another. One victim was decapitated and both were stabbed multiple times. He pleaded guilty to the murders and to intentionally causing harm to Anthony Burke who he stabbed in the eye. He'd met his victims through a variety of social media messaging and gay dating apps. Palani told arresting officers: 'I can get angry very quick' and said that homosexuality was a 'sin.' Sean McGovern appeared in court this evening News in 90 Seconds - May 30th Dad-of-two Sean McGovern appeared at the Criminal Courts of Justice this evening amid a major security operation. McGovern was arrested this afternoon at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel after arriving on a military plan that had brought him under garda escort from the United Arab Emirates. McGovern is accused of the feud murder of Noel Kirwan (62) at St Ronan's Drive in Clondalkin, Dublin 22, on December 22, 2016. It's believed Mr Kirwan was targeted after attending a funeral alongside Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch. McGovern is further accused of directing the activities of a criminal organisation in relation to Mr Kirwan's murder from October 20 and December 22, 2016. He is also charged with enhancing the abilities of a crime gang to carry out that murder between the same dates within the state. The court heard that McGovern also faces two additional charges relating to a plot to murder James 'Mago' Gately, more than eight years ago. He is charged with both directing a crime gang carry out surveillance of Gately, and facilitating a criminal organisation relating to the conspiracy to murder Gately between October 17 2015, and April 6, 2017. McGovern was remanded in custody to appear in court again on June 5.
