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Irish Times
30-05-2025
- General
- Irish Times
Richard Satchwell trial: Gardaí ignored ‘red flags' in Tina Satchwell murder investigation
'Red flags' emerged soon after the disappearance of Tina Satchwell that were 'simply ignored' by gardaí, the murder trial of her husband Richard Satchwell heard. Concerns about the Garda investigation into Ms Satchwell's disappearance were raised in the closing stages of the murder trial of her 58-year-old husband . His defence barrister, Brendan Grehan SC, said in his closing speech to the trial that the case was full of 'what ifs' and 'a lot of failures' by gardaí and it was 'simply beyond me' why gardaí were not in the Satchwell home soon after Ms Satchwell went missing in 2017. He suspected it was also simply beyond those gardaí became involved at a later stage in the investigation, he said. READ MORE [ 'Tina had no way of getting away from him': The full story of the Richard Satchwell murder trial Opens in new window ] [ 'Tina was portrayed in a way that is not true to who she was': Tina Satchwell's family describe 'kind, loving and gentle soul' Opens in new window ] The defence lawyer's opinion appeared to be endorsed by forensic archaeologist Dr Niamh McCullagh, who was asked in 2021 – four years after Ms Satchwell's disappearance – to review the files in the case. The review was requested by Supt Annmarie Twomey, who was not involved in the investigation until she was asked to take charge of it in August 2021. She and Det David Kelleher, who was also assigned to the investigation in 2021, brought what Mr Grehan described as 'new energy' to it. He said matters had progressed, 'though extremely cautiously', and said he still wondered at the reason for its 'pedestrian' pace up to October 2023 when Ms Satchwell's remains were uncovered. Supt Twomey had said, while gardaí believed by February 2022 that Ms Satchwell was dead and had never left her home and, by August 2022, that Satchwell should be arrested, there were 56 other lines of inquiry that had to be exhausted first. There were about 60 reported sightings of Ms Satchwell in Ireland and abroad after her disappearance, the trial heard. Dr McCullagh told the jury of research into domestic homicides that showed they often involved a pattern – as happened in the Satchwell case – of a false narrative and a missing-person report. Her own research into cases of 'concealment homicide' in Ireland found that most female victims were found within a kilometre of their home. [ The full story of the Richard Satchwell murder trial Opens in new window ] Mr Grehan said such findings hardly came as news to gardaí or to many others. Gardaí 'hardly needed' to be told what happened when a wife went missing, he said, which was that a missing-person report is 'not taken at face value' and 'every police force in the world looks at the husband'. He expected most people would hope, if they ever went missing, for a 'greater level of inquisitiveness' from gardaí. Brendan Grehan, left, and solicitor Eddie Burke outside Central Criminal Court in Dublin. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire Mr Grehan accepted that Satchwell was the author of – and biggest contributor to – the delay in finding his wife's remains but said there was 'more than enough blame for that delay to go around'. That influenced the manner in which some of the investigation was dealt with, he said. Dr McCullagh pointed to a 'red flag' at the Satchwell home during a search of the property by gardaí in June 2017: evidence of 'home renovations' and of a new red brick wall at the side of the stairs. There was no invasive search of the property at that point but gardaí seized a laptop and other items. An examination of that laptop showed another potential red flag: a YouTube video about the interaction of quicklime, which can disguise decomposition odours, with water was watched twice on March 24th, 2017. The trial heard the laptop was examined by gardaí in 2021 but it was unclear from the evidence whether there was an earlier examination of it. The jury did not hear a detailed explanation about why the June 2017 search of the property was not invasive. Supt Twomey said she did not know what the focus of the investigation was at that stage. It was still a missing-person investigation. She also noted laptops and other items were seized from the Youghal property. After her review of the files, Dr McCullagh recommended an invasive excavation of the house, to include the use of ground radar technology and a cadaver dog. Supt Twomey acted on that recommendation, and a specialist team, including gardaí, Dr McCullagh, a forensic anthropologist and a cadaver dog, entered the property on October 10th, 2023. The cadaver dog showed interest in the area under the stairs. Det Brian Barry and a builder noted different concrete in the area under the stairs and poor brick work in the red brick wall alongside the stairs. The concrete was then broken up and black plastic was observed in what turned out to be a grave site about a metre deep. A painstaking excavation was then undertaken by hand and, on the evening of October 11th, the skeletal remains of Tina Satchwell were found.
Irish Times
09-05-2025
- Irish Times
New investigation into killing of Clodagh Hawe and her children finds missed evidence
A new investigation into the killing of Clodagh Hawe and her three children by her husband in Co Cavan in 2016 has found the initial inquiry mishandled CCTV evidence and missed digital evidence in the case. A garda review has uncovered the new information not known at the time of the inquests into their deaths in 2017 . The serious crime review team - or Garda cold case - investigation was established in 2019 and the family of Ms Hawe have been briefed on its findings. It concluded the initial inquiry also conducted some interviews without the use of interviewers trained to the highest standard for an investigation into murders. READ MORE In addition a phone believed to be owned by Alan Hawe, that was not discovered during the first inquiry, was found. It was used to access pornography, including material considered under law as child abuse imagery. The details are set out in a new book titled Deadly Silence, by Ms Hawe's sister Jacqueline Connolly, which was published this week. Ms Connolly is very critical of the initial Garda investigation into the killings of Ms Hawe (39) and her sons Liam (13), Niall (11) and Ryan (6), with the subsequent serious crime review team examination finding a series of shortcomings with that first inquiry. [ Garda Commissioner job advertised, candidates from non-policing backgrounds eligible Opens in new window ] Ms Connolly believes the report drawn up by the serious crime review team, which the family was not given a copy of but were briefed on in 2024, should be published so society can learn more about such cases. In reply to queries, Garda Headquarters said that 'in general' those reports are not published 'for operational reasons'. However, it said the findings of reviews conducted by the Garda's serious crime review team 'are incorporated into senior investigative training'. The initial Garda investigation team compiled their findings for the Coroner's inquest process. A consultant forensic psychiatrist told the inquest he believed Alan Hawe had 'a long-standing depressive illness with anxiety and somatic concerns'. This progressed 'to a severe depressive episode with psychotic symptoms'. However, the inquest process is only designed to conclude how people died, or were killed, rather than establishing motives for homicides. The 2017 Hawe family inquest concluded Mrs Hawe and her sons were unlawfully killed while Alan Hawe had died by suicide. Neither the initial Garda investigation, nor the subsequent Garda review, reached any conclusions around why Alan Hawe killed his family. Garda investigations progress in a manner that establishes how killings are carried out, and gathers proof about who was responsible. Often in murder investigations carried out by the Garda, motives are not established or are not raised as a part of the prosecution's evidence in cases that go to the courts. The murders and suicide occurred at their home in Ballyjamesduff the night before school teacher Alan Hawe (40), his wife Clodagh - who was also a teacher - and their children were due to start the new school year.
