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Irish Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Aidan O'Brien's true colours clear as Royal Ascot jockey speaks out on trainer
Royal Ascot jockey Sean Levey has opened up about Aidan O'Brien, admitting that the Irish trainer is just as kind and diligent as one would expect behind the scenes. Having taken the National Hunt game by the horns, O'Brien was asked by Fermoy-born business magnate John Magnier to train at Ballydoyle, and the rest is history. The 55-year-old has won essentially all there is to win on the flat and has established himself as an impervious all-time great. O'Brien's record at the Royal meeting is as jaw-dropping as expected, and a battalion is sent over to Berkshire year-on-year in a bid for Group 1 glory. Aboard the majority of these charges is Ballydoyle's retained jockey Ryan Moore; however, such a large operation often sees rides crop up. Levey, who moved to Ireland as a teenager, began riding out for O'Brien in his youth. He was an apprentice under the trainer before heading to England and taking up a role at Richard Hannon's stable. The 37-year-old has produced winners for O'Brien on many occasions, though, most notably guiding Galileo colt Jan Brueghel to the St. Leger in 2024. Therefore, Levey is well-acquainted with the icon and has revealed that his industrious work is reflected in his honourable character. "I was an apprentice there [at Ballydoyle] for a few years before I moved here [to England]. It had a massive impact," said Ladbrokes ambassador Levey. "Because I obviously served an apprenticeship under him for a good few years. So it was… My initial standpoint was under Aidan, so you'd imagine he had a massive influence on a lot of the things I do now. He's a very, very kind man. The kind of man who does right by everyone. "He's also very meticulous. I think his love for the sport kind of shines through in how he presented himself and how he's navigated training a multitude of very, very good horses. I mean, his record kind of speaks for itself, and there's not much I can really add to his CV!" Over the course of a glittering career, it is not only the Ballydoyle dynasty that Levey has had the privilege of riding for, but the royal blue of the Maktoum family's stable, Godolphin. The globe-trotting stable was founded in 1992, and enlists the help of a handful of British trainers, namely Charlie Appleby and Saeed bin Suroor, to front their operation out of HQ. Levey has ridden in the iconic silks on occasion and believes both Ballydoyle and Godolphin's experience and rigorousness have allowed them to remain at the top for so long. "I think I've only ever picked up rides for Saeed [bin Suroor]. Been placed in a couple of listed races, and I've won a couple of listed races. I also rode a listed winner for Richard [Hannon] with a two-year-old that he had trained for Godolphin, so I've had the privilege of wearing the blue colours, and having winners in them," added Levey. "They're a firm that have their team. I've just been lucky on occasion that the opportunity sort of presented itself, and I was put forward. They're a very good team with very good soldiers to boot. Their record kind of speaks for itself. "Godolphin are... I think they've both been in the game a long, long time. They've been breeding very good horses for a long time, and they don't leave any stone unturned, the same as Aidan doesn't leave any stone unturned, and as a result, they're extremely competitive at the top level."
Sunday World
13-05-2025
- Sunday World
Tina's body found face down with legs ‘folded' in grave under stairs, court told
The English truck driver appeared for the tenth day of his murder trial THE body of missing woman Tina Satchwell was discovered lying face down in a clandestine grave underneath the stairwell of the Cork home she shared with her husband. Forensic anthropologist Dr Laureen Buckley told the Central Criminal Court trial murder trial of Ms Satchwell's husband, Richard (58), that the position the body was found in helped prevent full decomposition to the front part of her body. "The body was face down and the legs were folded over to the side," she said. Dr Buckley had assisted forensic archaeologists Dr Niamh McCullagh and Dr Aidan Harte with the excavation of the remains after they were found by gardaí on October 12, 2023. Together, all three carefully placed the body - still wrapped in a blanket and black plastic - in a black body bag for transfer to the morgue at Cork University Hospital (CUH). Richard Satchwell. Photo: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision The English truck driver appeared for the tenth day of his murder trial before the Central Criminal Court in Dublin wearing navy slacks, a white T-shirt and a cream check shirt. The trial - before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of seven women and five men - is expected to run until early June. Mr Satchwell has 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. Her partially skeletonised body was discovered following an invasive four day Garda search of the Satchwell family home from October 10-13, 2023. The State said her body was temporarily stored in a chest freezer before being buried in a shallow grave underneath the stairs and topped with a concrete slab. Mr Satchwell had notified officers at Fermoy Garda Station on March 24, 2017 that his Fermoy-born wife was missing from their Youghal home when he returned from an errand in Waterford four days earlier. The Leicester native claimed his wife had left her beloved dogs, Heidi and Ruby, behind but had taken two suitcases and €26,000 in their life savings which had been stored in a tin in the attic. At the urging of gardaí, he made a formal missing person statement on May 11, 2017. Richard Satchwell holding a photo of Tina and standing in one of her walk-in wardrobes. Photo: Kyran O'Brien . Mr Satchwell's home was subjected to a 12 hour search by a team of ten gardaí on June 7, 2017 but nothing was found. That search included conducting a 'Blue Star' test for traces of blood but none were detected. However, a new brick wall underneath the house stairwell was noted and photographed. Ms Satchwell was the focus of a six and a half year missing person investigation. Her body was found buried underneath the stairwell during a second more invasive Garda search of the Grattan Street property from October 10, 2023. A cadaver dog called 'Fern', used by the UK Home Office, was deployed from Northern Ireland at the request of the Gardaí. Gardaí had targeted an area underneath the stairs for excavation after realising that there were two different colours of cement located there - one newer poured cement and the other much older. Fern had also shown great interest in the area by the stairs. Dr Buckley said she was asked to attend No 3 Grattan Street in Youghal on October 12 by Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster. When she arrived, Dr McCullagh and Dr Harte were still attempting to excavate the body from the grave. She assisted, with the team taking turns to expose and excavate the remains. Dr Buckley said the body was lying face down in the grave - and was carefully removed and placed inside a black plastic body bag. The body was left within the wrappings in which it was found. "The body was turned and it was seen that the right arm was tightly flexed over the thorax. The left arm was loose and flexed. The forearm was over the lower thorax. "Because the body was lying face down it was more preserved in the front. "The back of the body was more skeletonised. "The lower legs, which were bent, were skeletonised. The head was also skeletonised. The muscles and ligaments that attach bones together had decomposed so the vertebrae had become loose. The cranium was detached (from the spinal column.)" The legs had been partly bent towards the thigh. "Both tibia and fibula (leg bones) were visible." "There was enough soft tissue present to identify the body as female." Most of the remaining soft tissue was by the lower abdomen and pelvic area. Dr Buckley said she roughly estimated that the body was found at a depth of 80cm in the grave. "There were no fractures upon any of the bones. "The remains were those of a 45 year old female and there were no fractures to any of the bones including the hyoid bone." Richard Satchwell and his wife Tina Satchwell News in 90 Seconds - May 13th Ms Satchwell was later identified from dental records though hair and a toe bone particle were taken for DNA analysis. She was found fully clothed in Tartan-style pyjamas and lilac robe with her purse in the pocket, wrapped in a blanket and black plastic sheeting, with small shards of glass in her head and arm. The "clandestine grave" was up to 84cm (two and a half feet) deep - and was much larger than the "body bundle" buried there. Detectives and forensic archaeologists realised they had discovered human remains when, as they excavated the area a human hand became visible within the heavy plastic sheeting. Builder Pat O'Connor, who supervised the construction team contracted to help Gardaí for the October 2023 search, said an area under the stairwell was inspected on October 11 at the direction of forensic officers. He said a piece of old linoleum was pulled back. "You could clearly see a kind concrete had been poured in a rectangular shape. It was roughly six foot by three feet wide - you could see the shape of the new concrete." Mr O'Connor said the building team withdrew from the property when part of the concrete was excavated and grey-black plastic was found underneath the concrete. The following day the building team were asked to demolish and remove the small red brick wall under the stairs. The trial already heard that Mr Satchwell claimed to Gardaí in October 2023, just hours after human remains were found in his home, that his wife attacked him with a chisel on March 20 2017 before she "went limp" after he tried to protect himself by holding her away from him with a belt, with her weight on the belt by her neck. He placed her body in a chest freezer and then buried it in a one metre grave he excavated under the stairwell of their Cork home. Mr Satchwell, having placed his wife's body in black sheeting and then into the shallow grave, covered it over with cement before notifying Gardaí four days later she was missing. Her remains were only found six and a half years later. The prosecution is led by Gerardine Small SC with Imelda Kelly BL. Mr Satchwell's defence team is led by Brendan Grehan SC with Paula McCarthy BL, instructed by Cork solicitor Eddie Burke.
Sunday World
12-05-2025
- Sunday World
Gardaí found Tina Satchwell after noticing different colour concrete under stairs
Gardaí found a human hand at 8.35pm on October 11 when forensic experts examined the black plastic which had been buried in the deep, clandestine grave The murder trial of Richard Satchwell (58) has heard Gardaí found the body of an adult female wrapped in black plastic and buried in a deep clandestine grave after focussing on the stairwell of a Cork property because a forensic officer noticed that poured concrete was different to the cement alongside it. Retired Garda Technical Bureau officer, Det Garda Shane Curran - who was the crime scene manager as Gardaí excavated Mr Satchwell's Youghal home in October 2023 - said that human remains were found during a detailed excavation on October 11. Gardaí found a human hand at 8.35pm on October 11 when forensic experts examined the black plastic which had been buried in the deep, clandestine grave. "The remains were wrapped in black plastic – and were transferred to Cork University Hospital (at 2pm on October 12) after they were found.' Richard Satchwell "The body was found in black plastic and was left in the black plastic as it was placed in a body bag for transfer to the mortuary.' The English truck driver appeared for the ninth day of his murder trial before the Central Criminal Court in Dublin wearing navy slacks and an open neck blue shirt. The trial - before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of seven women and five men - is expected to run for six weeks. Mr Satchwell has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife Tina (45) 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. Richard Satchwell pictured holding a photo of his wife Tina. Photo: Kyran O'Brien News in 90 seconds - 12th May 2025 Her partially skeletonised body was discovered following an invasive Garda search of the Satchwell family home from October 10-12, 2023. The State said her body was temporarily stored in a chest freezer before being buried in a shallow grave underneath the stairs and topped with a concrete slab. Mr Satchwell had notified officers at Fermoy Garda Station on March 24, 2017, that his Fermoy-born wife was missing from their Youghal home when he returned from an errand in Waterford four days earlier. The Leicester native claimed his wife had left her beloved dogs, Heidi and Ruby, behind but had taken two suitcases and €26,000 in their life savings, which had been stored in a tin in the attic. At the urging of Gardaí, he made a formal missing person statement on May 11, 2017. Mr Satchwell's home was subjected to a 12-hour search by a team of 10 Gardaí on June 7, 2017, but nothing was found. Tina Satchwell That search included conducting a 'Blue Star' test for traces of blood but none were detected. However, a new brick wall underneath the house stairwell was noted and photographed. Ms Satchwell's body was found buried underneath the stairwell during a second more invasive Garda search of the Grattan Street property from October 10, 2023. Her body was found by a cadaver dog called 'Fern', which is used by the UK Home Office, and was deployed at the request of the Gardaí with Northern Ireland-based dog handler, Alan Ward. The home in Youghal where Tina Satchwell and her husband Richard Satchwell lived Det Garda Curran was the crime scene manager at No 3 Grattan Street from October 10, 2023, when the invasive search began. He was with Det Garda Brian Barry, Det Garda Karen Carthy and Det Garda Mairead Crowley. Also assisting Gardaí were two forensic archaeologists, Dr Niamh McCullough and Dr Aidan Harte. Forensic anthropologist Dr Laureen Buckley was also on standby to assist Gardaí. On October 11, the second day of the search, Det Garda Curran said a matter was brought to his attention. Det Garda Brian Barry noticed an area by the stairwell where recently poured concrete was different to the original concrete. "The concrete was a different colour and that is what piqued Det Garda Barry's interest." The area was partially excavated with the assistance of contract builders. "He told me he found some black plastic some 64cm deep under the slab. He thought this was very, very important." Dr McCullough and Dr Harte assisted with the exposure and excavation of the area containing the black plastic. "The red brick partition was removed to allow better access for the forensic archaeologists to continue their excavation (under the stairwell)." It was found that the black plastic contained human remains some 64cm deep. Dr Buckley then assisted with the examination. "The base of the grave was 84cm which is quite deep," Det Garda Curran said. Det Garda Curran said the cadaver dog had shown interest in the area by the stairwell. "It (the dog) had shown significant interest in the area." "But it was only when Det Garda Barry started to explore the area and exposed the black plastic that the human remains were found - I asked for the dog to be brought back and that was when the dog indicated the presence of human remains." Cadaver dog, Fern, went into 'freeze mode' which indicated it had found human remains. "The remains were found on the evening of October 11 and were fully exposed by October 12," Det Garda Curran said. The body, having been examined by Dr Buckley, was taken to Cork University Hospital (CUH) where a post-mortem examination was conducted. "Because the burial was so deep, 64cm and 84cm....84cm is very, very deep. The reason it is so deep is that the soil under the stairs was very sandy and it was easy to dig," Det Garda Curran said. Tina Satchwell was 45 when she disappeared (Family handout/PA) Ground penetrating radar was used but the depth of the burial and the general environment did not result in any positive 'hit'. The trial already heard that Mr Satchwell claimed to Gardaí in October 2023, just hours after human remains were found in his home, that his wife attacked him with a chisel on March 20, 2017, before she "went limp" after he tried to protect himself by holding her away from him with a belt, with her weight on the belt by her neck. He placed her body in a chest freezer and then buried it in a one metre grave he excavated under the stairwell of their Cork home. Mr Satchwell, having placed his wife's body in black sheeting and then into the shallow grave, covered it over with cement before notifying Gardaí four days later she was missing. Her remains were only found six and a half years later. The prosecution is led by Gerardine Small SC with Imelda Kelly BL. Mr Satchwell's defence team is led by Brendan Grehan SC with Paula McCarthy BL, instructed by Cork solicitor Eddie Burke.
Sunday World
06-05-2025
- Sunday World
Satchwell agreed to enhanced cognitive interview with gardaí in search for Tina, trial told
Tina's partially skeletonised body was discovered following an invasive garda search of the Satchwell family home from October 10, 2023 Richard Satchwell is accused of the murder of his wife Tina (inset) Murder accused Richard Satchwell (58) agreed to participate in a special enhanced cognitive interview (ECI) with gardaí four years into the search for his missing wife Tina (45). Mr Satchwell has pleaded not guilty before the Central Criminal Court to the murder of his wife Tina Satchwell at a time unknown on March 19/20, 2017 at their home at No 3 Grattan Street in Youghal, Co Cork. Tina's partially skeletonised body was discovered following an invasive garda search of the Satchwell family home from October 10, 2023. The State said her body was temporarily stored in a chest freezer before being buried in a shallow grave underneath the stairs and topped with concrete. Richard Satchwell is accused of murdering his wife Tina (Brian Lawless/PA) The Central Criminal Court jury of seven women and five men are today listening to the transcript of a lengthy garda interview conducted by Mr Satchwell in June 2021. Gardaí said the ECI lasted for over three hours and the transcript runs to 124 pages. The English truck driver appeared for the fifth day of his murder trial before the Central Criminal Court in Dublin wearing navy slacks and a red-and-blue check shirt. Detective Sergeant David Noonan held the ECI with Mr Satchwell on June 20, 2021 – four years into the garda search for Tina. The interview was conducted away from a garda station, at a special interview suite, to allow a relaxed environment for the witness-led discussion. "It is forensic, you are getting a lot more detail when you go down this route," Det Sgt Noonan told the trial. "It is accepted as the gold standard of interviews." Richard Satchwell is accused of the murder of his wife Tina (inset) News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, May 6th Unlike a normal statement interview with gardaí, questions and answers are not written down at the time and the format is more conversational. The ECI is led by the witness rather than the garda. "I wanted Mr Satchwell to go into great detail when he was describing anything to me," Det Sgt Noonan said. Gardaí were eager to obtain the maximum possible level of detail about various things Mr Satchwell wanted to talk about relating to his wife and her disappearance. Mr Satchwell's ECI was conducted over four years after he made his first statement to gardaí about the disappearance of Tina. The Blackpool interview was recorded on DVD, the detective did not write out the answers at the time to allow for a more relaxed environment with the recordings being transcribed and gone over with Mr Satchwell on January 23, 2022. Tina Satchwell and her husband Richard Mr Satchwell had notified officers at Fermoy garda station on March 24, 2017 that his Fermoy-born wife was missing from their Youghal home when he returned from an errand in Waterford four days earlier. The Leicester native claimed his wife had left her beloved dogs, Heidi and Ruby, behind but had taken two suitcases and €26,000 in their life savings which had been stored in a tin in the attic. At the urging of gardaí, he made a formal missing person statement on May 11, 2017. Mr Satchwell's home was subjected to a 12-hour search by a team of 10 gardaí on June 7, 2017 but nothing was found. That search included conducting a 'Blue Star' test for traces of blood but none were detected. However, a new wall underneath the stairwell was noted and photographed. Tina's body was found buried underneath the stairwell during a second more invasive search of the Grattan Street property undertaken from October 10, 2023. The trial already heard that Mr Satchwell claimed to gardaí in October 2023, just hours after human remains were found in his home, that his wife Tina attacked him with a chisel on March 20, 2017. Tina Satchwell's body was found in 2023 He told detectives she "went limp" after he tried to protect himself by holding her away from him with a belt, with her weight on the belt by her neck. Her body was placed in a chest freezer and then buried in a one-metre grave he had excavated under the stairwell of their Cork home. Mr Satchwell, having placed Tina's body in black sheeting and then into the shallow grave, covered it over with cement before notifying gardaí four days later that his wife was missing. Her remains were only found six-and-a-half years later. The prosecution is led by Gerardine Small SC with Imelda Kelly BL. Mr Satchwell's defence team is led by Brendan Grehan SC with Paula McCarthy BL, instructed by Cork solicitor Eddie Burke. The trial – before Mr Justice Paul McDermott – is expected to run for six weeks.
Sunday World
01-05-2025
- Sunday World
Richard Satchwell told media he was ‘innocent man' and wife was still alive, murder trial told
Mr Satchwell - who denies the murder of his wife - wept during an RTÉ Crimecall appeal Mr Satchwell - who denies the murder of his wife - wept during an RTÉ Crimecall appeal - and claimed to TV3/Virgin Media's Paul Byrne on July 14, 2017, that elements of the Irish media were now fabricating stories about him. When asked directly by Mr Byrne if he had killed his wife, he denied it: "Never - I never ever lifted a finger to her." Mr Satchwell appeared for the fourth day of his murder trial before the Central Criminal Court in Dublin wearing navy slacks and a red-blue pattern shirt. The truck driver has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife Tina 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. Tina's partially skeletonised body was discovered following an invasive search of the Satchwell family home from October 10, 2023. She was found buried in a shallow grave underneath the stairs which had been topped with concrete. Mr Satchwell had notified officers at Fermoy Garda Station on March 24, 2017, that his Fermoy-born wife was missing from their Youghal home when he returned from an errand in Waterford four days earlier. The Leicester native said his wife had left her beloved dogs, Heidi and Ruby, behind but had taken two suitcases and €26,000 in their life savings which had been stored in a tin in the attic. At the urging of Gardaí, he made a formal missing person statement on May 11, 2017. Mr Satchwell's home was subjected to a 12-hour search by a team of 10 Gardaí on June 7, 2017, but nothing was found. That search included conducting a 'Blue Star' test for traces of blood but none were found. However, a new wall underneath the house stairwell was noted and photographed. The jury of seven women and five men were today shown further clips of media interviews Mr Satchwell had conducted over June-July 2017 in support of the Garda missing person campaign to locate his wife Tina. The trial was told they would hear a total of 14 clips from various interviews. On Wednesday the jury listened to clips of interview appeals made by Mr Satchwell to The Irish Independent, RTÉ and 96FM. Today, clips from RTÉ and TV3/Virgin Media were played in evidence introduced by Detective Garda David Kelleher. "One way or another I know that she is going to turn up - she is going to make contact with Gardaí," Mr Satchwell said on July 14, 2017. "This will all come out and prove that I did nothing wrong." "I know her (Tina) better than I know myself." Mr Satchwell then claimed that elements of the Irish media were fabricating stories about him - and he was not going to do further interviews. "I think at this point they are beginning to mislead and even fabricate stories. I am not going to make any more interviews." "I have been with my wife for 28 years. I have never, ever lifted my finger to her." "(I wanted to offer) a good, quiet, loving marriage and nothing else." "If I was asked to take a lie detector test I would do it." But the truck driver acknowledged that some people were passing hurtful comments about him. "I don't know why people are being so malicious." Mr Satchwell emphatically denied, when directly questioned, if he had killed his wife. "Never - I am an innocent man," he insisted. "She has been my daylight - I have never over our nearly 30 years of being together ever lifted a finger to her." "She obviously felt she needed a break - just to get her head straight," he told Barry Cummins on RTÉ's 'Prime Time.' He insisted his arms were open to Tina should she come home. "(I would offer) a tight the bones off her." "As far as I am concerned my wife is out there and she is going to come back...I do not believe she is dead. I honestly truly believe that.' Mr Satchwell maintained between 2017 and 2023 that his wife had left the family home over marital difficulties. The trial has already heard that Mr Satchwell claimed to Gardaí in October 2023, just hours after human remains were found in his home during a second more invasive search, that his wife Tina attacked him with a chisel on March 20, 2017, before she "went limp" after he tried to protect himself by holding her away from him with a belt, with her weight on the belt by her neck. He placed her body in a chest freezer and then buried it in a one metre grave he excavated under the stairwell of their Cork home. Mr Satchwell, having placed Tina's body in black sheeting and then into the shallow grave, covered it over with cement before notifying Gardaí four days later that his wife was missing. Her remains were only found six and a half years later following a forensic and invasive search by Gardaí of the Grattan Street property. The prosecution is led by Gerardine Small SC with Imelda Kelly BL. Mr Satchwell's defence team is led by Brendan Grehan SC with Paula McCarthy BL, instructed by Cork solicitor Eddie Burke. The murder trial, before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of seven women and five men, is expected to run until June 5-6.
