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Irish Examiner
20-05-2025
- Irish Examiner
Richard Satchwell murder trial hears harrowing evidence about condition of his wife's decomposed body
WARNING: The following article contains details some readers may find upsetting Red finger nails, a skull decapitated due to decomposition but with hair still attached, and bones protruding through clothing were found at the autopsy of missing Cork woman Tina Satchwell. Mrs Satchwell was 45 when she went missing from her home on 3 Grattan Street, Youghal on March 20, 2017, the Central Criminal Court heard. Her skeletal remains were found six and a half years later, buried beneath the sitting room floor of that Cork home. Her husband, Richard Satchwell, 58, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife, Tina Satchwell, nee Dingivan, at their home on 3 Grattan St, Youghal, between March 19 and March 20, both dates inclusive. Mrs Satchwell's bones were protruding from her dressing gown but some soft tissue remained, Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster told the Central Criminal Court after she conducted an autopsy on Mrs Satchwell's remains. Her Tweedie Pie tattoo was still visible on her chest and a bar piercing was found on her bellybutton 'Some bunny loves me' was written on some of her clothing. Tina Satchwell's cause of death could not be determined due to the skeletal nature of her remains, the court heard. Fingers flexed, some of her nails had fallen off during excavation. But a false pink nail remained on the ring finger of her left hand, Dr Bolster said. Hair found on Mrs Satchwell's remains was a brassy brown colour. Dr Bolster, who has carried out more than 33,000 autopsies, explained the colour of hair changes after death. No prescribed drugs or drugs of abuse were found when samples of her hair were sent for toxicology analysis, meaning she had not consumed any drugs or medication in the 90 days before her death. She was found in a shallow grave in her home covered in a plastic sheet, with her body wrapped in a fabric sheet, which was soiled. Some of Mrs Satchwell's bones were protruding through it and soil and debris was found on top of it. Under that sheet, Mrs Satchwell's body was wearing a dressing gown. A gold Playboy purse was found in the left pocket, containing her public service card, a Rathcormac car boot sale card, an Xtravision membership card, a Tesco club card, a Boots advantage card and a Holland & Barrett card. Shards of glass were found on her scalp and body. Dr Bolster and bone expert Laureen Buckley were brought to 3 Grattan St, Youghal, by gardaí on October 12, 2023. They helped with the dig of the clandestine grave where Mrs Satchwell's remains were found. Mrs Satchwell's body was removed from the shallow grave and was taken to the mortuary in Cork University Hospital, where Dr Bolster conducted the autopsy on October 12 and into the morning of October 13, 2023. Mrs Satchwell's cause of death could not be determined due to the skeletal nature of her remains, the court heard. There was no evidence of any bone fractures, including to the hyoid bone which fractures in some 70% of manual strangulations, Dr Bolster said. No damage to Mrs Satchwell's nails was identified. No evidence of trauma was found on the body. No bruising was found in what small amount of muscle tissue was left. An X-ray of the hands showed no evidence of fractures. A dressing gown belt was knotted in an unusual way around the body, looping around both the chest and stomach. It may have been tied in this way to make the body more easy to move, Dr Bolster said. A deceased body is difficult to move and very often a ligature is used to assist with moving the body, she said. Mrs Satchwell was first reported missing by her husband on March 24, 2017. Her remains were found wrapped in plastic and buried beneath a concrete floor under the stairwell in their terraced home in Youghal in October, 2023. Her husband has been charged with her murder. The trial continues.
The Journal
12-05-2025
- The Journal
Body of Tina Satchwell was found wrapped in black plastic under stairs of her home, court hears
THE BODY OF Tina Satchwell was found wrapped in black plastic, dressed in her dressing gown and pyjamas and with shards of glass in her head and arm, a court has been told. Tina Satchwell was found buried in a deep clandestine grave under the stairs at the home she shared with her husband, Richard Satchwell. A forensic officer said he noticed poured concrete was different to other cement on the ground under the stairs during a search of the property in Co Cork in October 2023. Richard Satchwell (58) of Grattan Street in Youghal, is accused of murdering his wife Tina between 19 and 20 March 2017. He denies the charge. Satchwell, originally from Leicester in England, formally reported his wife missing on 11 May 2017. He initially claimed he believed she had left their family home because their relationship had deteriorated and she had taken €26,000 in cash they kept in the attic. Her remains were found buried under a concrete floor under the stairs in their home. Detective Garda Karen McCarthy told the Central Criminal Court in Dublin that she took samples from the body of Tina Satchwell at Cork University Hospital where a post-mortem examination was taking place on 12 October. Detective McCarthy said that she recovered Tina Satchwell's dressing gown with a belt around it, her pyjama top and bottoms, underwear and a purse that was found in the left pocket of the gown. She said that the purse contained a Public Services Card with the name of Tina Satchwell, a Holland & Barrett rewards card, as well as a membership card for Rathcormac car boot sale. The court was also told that shards of glass were found in her head and arm and that she had been wrapped in a blanket. A sample of her head hair and toenail were also taken for DNA testing. The jury also heard about the moment a forensic archaeologist found a hand as they dug under the stairs of the Youghal home. Detective Garda Brian Barry, who is involved in the investigation of major crime scenes, was accompanied by building contractors to help in the invasive search on 10 October 2023. Advertisement They were alerted to an area at the stairs by the garda search dog, Fern. Richard Satchwell has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife Tina in 2017. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Detective Barry said that he used purple lighting to look under the stairs and could see different coloured concrete. He described it as 'newer concrete' which he said was 'very suspicious to me' and was 'unusual'. 'I certainly took an interest in this,' he told the court. The builders used special kango hammers to break the concrete and they dug until they discovered black plastic sheeting about 64cm from the ground level. Detective Barry said it was unusual and he was 'very suspicious'. The contractors were told the stop digging and Detective Barry contacted the crime scene manager to require the forensic archaeologists to attend the area. Retired detective sergeant Shane Curran, a former member of the technical bureau and crime scene manager of the search, said that the dog was returned to the scene and confirmed the presence of human remains by going into 'freeze mode'. He said that two archaeologists and later a forensic anthropologist assisted in the recovery of the remains. He said they found the human remains of Tina Satchwell buried deep under the concrete. He said that it was around 74cm to the depth of the burial site. The retired detective agreed that the process was slow and painstaking to ensure that all evidence was preserved. He described the excavation as 'complex', and said that Tina Satchwell's remains were fully excavated on the morning of 12 October. He said that metal detection equipment and ground penetrating radar was also used during the search, which had been scheduled to last a week. The court was told that the initial plan was to remove walls inside the property and knock down an extension at the back of the building as part of the search. This plan did not proceed following the discovery of Tina Satchwell's remains. The trial continues.
South Wales Guardian
12-05-2025
- South Wales Guardian
Body of Tina Satchwell found wrapped in black plastic under stairs, court hears
Mrs Satchwell was found buried in a deep clandestine grave under the stairs at the home she shared with her husband, Richard Satchwell. A forensic officer said he noticed poured concrete was different to other cement on the ground under the stairs during a search of the property in Co Cork in October 2023. Satchwell, 58, of Grattan Street in Youghal, is accused of murdering his wife Tina Satchwell between March 19 and 20 2017. He denies the charge. Satchwell, originally from Leicester in England, formally reported his wife missing on May 11 2017. He initially claimed he believed she had left their family home because their relationship had deteriorated and she had taken 26,000 euros in cash they kept in the attic. Her remains were found buried under a concrete floor under the stairs in their home. Detective Garda Karen McCarthy told the Central Criminal Court in Dublin that she took samples from the body of Mrs Satchwell at Cork University Hospital where a post-mortem examination was taking place on October 12. Detective McCarthy said that she recovered Mrs Satchwell's dressing gown with a belt around it, her pyjama top and bottoms, underwear and a purse that was found in the left pocket of the gown. She said that the purse contained a Public Services Card with the name of Tina Satchwell, a Holland & Barrett rewards card, as well as a membership card for Rathcormac car boot sale. The court was also told that shards of glass were found in her head and arm and that she had been wrapped in a blanket. A sample of her head hair and toenail were also taken for DNA testing. The jury also heard about the moment a forensic archaeologist found a hand as they dug under the stairs of the Youghal home. Detective Garda Brian Barry, who is involved in the investigation of major crime scenes, was accompanied by building contractors to help in the invasive search on October 10, 2023. They were alerted to an area at the stairs by the garda search dog, Fern. Detective Barry said that he used purple lighting to look under the stairs and could see different coloured concrete. He described it as 'newer concrete' which he said was 'very suspicious to me' and was 'unusual'. 'I certainly took an interest in this,' he told the court. The builders used special kango hammers to break the concrete and they dug until they discovered black plastic sheeting about 64cm from the ground level. Detective Barry said it was unusual and he was 'very suspicious'. The contractors were told the stop digging and Detective Barry contacted the crime scene manager to require the forensic archaeologists to attend the area. Retired detective sergeant Shane Curran, a former member of the technical bureau and crime scene manager of the search, said that the dog was returned to the scene and confirmed the presence of human remains by going into 'freeze mode'. He said that two archaeologists and later a forensic anthropologist assisted in the recovery of the remains. He said they found the human remains of Mrs Satchwell buried deep under the concrete. He said that it was around 74cm to the depth of the burial site. The retired detective agreed that the process was slow and painstaking to ensure that all evidence was preserved. He described the excavation as 'complex', and said that Mrs Satchwell's remains were fully excavated on the morning of October 12. He said that metal detection equipment and ground penetrating radar was also used during the search, which had been scheduled to last a week. The court was told that the initial plan was to remove walls inside the property and knock down an extension at the back of the building as part of the search. This plan did not proceed following the discovery of Mrs Satchwell's remains. The trial continues.
Powys County Times
12-05-2025
- Powys County Times
Body of Tina Satchwell found wrapped in black plastic under stairs, court hears
The body of Tina Satchwell was found wrapped in black plastic, dressed in her dressing gown and pyjamas and with shards of glass in her head and arm, a court has been told. Mrs Satchwell was found buried in a deep clandestine grave under the stairs at the home she shared with her husband, Richard Satchwell. A forensic officer said he noticed poured concrete was different to other cement on the ground under the stairs during a search of the property in Co Cork in October 2023. Satchwell, 58, of Grattan Street in Youghal, is accused of murdering his wife Tina Satchwell between March 19 and 20 2017. He denies the charge. Satchwell, originally from Leicester in England, formally reported his wife missing on May 11 2017. He initially claimed he believed she had left their family home because their relationship had deteriorated and she had taken 26,000 euros in cash they kept in the attic. Her remains were found buried under a concrete floor under the stairs in their home. Detective Garda Karen McCarthy told the Central Criminal Court in Dublin that she took samples from the body of Mrs Satchwell at Cork University Hospital where a post-mortem examination was taking place on October 12. Detective McCarthy said that she recovered Mrs Satchwell's dressing gown with a belt around it, her pyjama top and bottoms, underwear and a purse that was found in the left pocket of the gown. She said that the purse contained a Public Services Card with the name of Tina Satchwell, a Holland & Barrett rewards card, as well as a membership card for Rathcormac car boot sale. The court was also told that shards of glass were found in her head and arm and that she had been wrapped in a blanket. A sample of her head hair and toenail were also taken for DNA testing. The jury also heard about the moment a forensic archaeologist found a hand as they dug under the stairs of the Youghal home. Detective Garda Brian Barry, who is involved in the investigation of major crime scenes, was accompanied by building contractors to help in the invasive search on October 10, 2023. They were alerted to an area at the stairs by the garda search dog, Fern. Detective Barry said that he used purple lighting to look under the stairs and could see different coloured concrete. He described it as 'newer concrete' which he said was 'very suspicious to me' and was 'unusual'. 'I certainly took an interest in this,' he told the court. The builders used special kango hammers to break the concrete and they dug until they discovered black plastic sheeting about 64cm from the ground level. Detective Barry said it was unusual and he was 'very suspicious'. The contractors were told the stop digging and Detective Barry contacted the crime scene manager to require the forensic archaeologists to attend the area. Retired detective sergeant Shane Curran, a former member of the technical bureau and crime scene manager of the search, said that the dog was returned to the scene and confirmed the presence of human remains by going into 'freeze mode'. He said that two archaeologists and later a forensic anthropologist assisted in the recovery of the remains. He said they found the human remains of Mrs Satchwell buried deep under the concrete. He said that it was around 74cm to the depth of the burial site. The retired detective agreed that the process was slow and painstaking to ensure that all evidence was preserved. He described the excavation as 'complex', and said that Mrs Satchwell's remains were fully excavated on the morning of October 12. He said that metal detection equipment and ground penetrating radar was also used during the search, which had been scheduled to last a week. The court was told that the initial plan was to remove walls inside the property and knock down an extension at the back of the building as part of the search. This plan did not proceed following the discovery of Mrs Satchwell's remains.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Yahoo
Body of Tina Satchwell found wrapped in black plastic under stairs, court hears
The body of Tina Satchwell was found wrapped in black plastic, dressed in her dressing gown and pyjamas and with shards of glass in her head and arm, a court has been told. Mrs Satchwell was found buried in a deep clandestine grave under the stairs at the home she shared with her husband, Richard Satchwell. A forensic officer said he noticed poured concrete was different to other cement on the ground under the stairs during a search of the property in Co Cork in October 2023. Satchwell, 58, of Grattan Street in Youghal, is accused of murdering his wife Tina Satchwell between March 19 and 20 2017. He denies the charge. Satchwell, originally from Leicester in England, formally reported his wife missing on May 11 2017. He initially claimed he believed she had left their family home because their relationship had deteriorated and she had taken 26,000 euros in cash they kept in the attic. Her remains were found buried under a concrete floor under the stairs in their home. Detective Garda Karen McCarthy told the Central Criminal Court in Dublin that she took samples from the body of Mrs Satchwell at Cork University Hospital where a post-mortem examination was taking place on October 12. Detective McCarthy said that she recovered Mrs Satchwell's dressing gown with a belt around it, her pyjama top and bottoms, underwear and a purse that was found in the left pocket of the gown. She said that the purse contained a Public Services Card with the name of Tina Satchwell, a Holland & Barrett rewards card, as well as a membership card for Rathcormac car boot sale. The court was also told that shards of glass were found in her head and arm and that she had been wrapped in a blanket. A sample of her head hair and toenail were also taken for DNA testing. The jury also heard about the moment a forensic archaeologist found a hand as they dug under the stairs of the Youghal home. Detective Garda Brian Barry, who is involved in the investigation of major crime scenes, was accompanied by building contractors to help in the invasive search on October 10, 2023. They were alerted to an area at the stairs by the garda search dog, Fern. Detective Barry said that he used purple lighting to look under the stairs and could see different coloured concrete. He described it as 'newer concrete' which he said was 'very suspicious to me' and was 'unusual'. 'I certainly took an interest in this,' he told the court. The builders used special kango hammers to break the concrete and they dug until they discovered black plastic sheeting about 64cm from the ground level. Detective Barry said it was unusual and he was 'very suspicious'. The contractors were told the stop digging and Detective Barry contacted the crime scene manager to require the forensic archaeologists to attend the area. Retired detective sergeant Shane Curran, a former member of the technical bureau and crime scene manager of the search, said that the dog was returned to the scene and confirmed the presence of human remains by going into 'freeze mode'. He said that two archaeologists and later a forensic anthropologist assisted in the recovery of the remains. He said they found the human remains of Mrs Satchwell buried deep under the concrete. He said that it was around 74cm to the depth of the burial site. The retired detective agreed that the process was slow and painstaking to ensure that all evidence was preserved. He described the excavation as 'complex', and said that Mrs Satchwell's remains were fully excavated on the morning of October 12. He said that metal detection equipment and ground penetrating radar was also used during the search, which had been scheduled to last a week. The court was told that the initial plan was to remove walls inside the property and knock down an extension at the back of the building as part of the search. This plan did not proceed following the discovery of Mrs Satchwell's remains. The trial continues.
