Court told Richard Satchwell replied 'guilty or not guilty, guilty' when charged with wife's murder  

Investigating gardaí have denied that Richard Satchwell was made carry out a "perp walk" after he was charged with murdering his wife, with defence counsel putting it to a detective that his client was "paraded before the press" while handcuffed.

The trial also heard today that of the press were able to tweet that Mr Satchwell was going to be charged before gardaí had actually done so.

In cross-examination, Brendan Grehan SC, defending, asked Detective Garda David Kelleher whether gardaí as a "corporate entity" were "overcompensating" for their initial failure in the investigation when Mr Satchwell was formally charged at Cashel Courthouse in October, 2023 with Tina Satchwell's murder.

Counsel said that the British truck driver was handcuffed to the front and "marched" by five gardaí into Cashel District Court, with the patrol car having pulled in quite a distance away from the courthouse.  

Reported

The Central Criminal Court has heard that on March 24, 2017, Mr Satchwell told gardaí 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.

The accused formally reported Ms Satchwell missing the following May but her body was not discovered for over six years, when gardaí in October, 2023 conducting "an invasive search" of the Satchwell's home found her decomposed remains in a grave that had been dug underneath the stairs.

Det Gda Kelleher told Gerardine Small SC, prosecuting, today that he charged Mr Satchwell with the murder of his wife Tina at Cobh Garda Station on October 13, 2023. The detective said he then cautioned the accused for a second time.

Det Gda Kelleher said Mr Satchwell had replied "guilty or not guilty, guilty" to the charge.

Under cross-examination, Det Gda Kelleher told Mr Grehan that he could not recall explaining what the offence of murder was to the defendant in comparison to other forms of homicide, such as manslaughter.

Agreed

Det Gda Kelleher agreed with defence counsel that throughout the accused's second detention, Mr Satchwell itted he had lied about Ms Satchwell "having simply disappeared" and told gardaí that his wife had died in the course of a struggle. 

The detective also agreed that the accused had never deviated from that position throughout his entire detention.

He told Mr Grehan that the defendant's solicitor, Eddie Burke, was not present when the accused was charged by gardaí with the murder of his wife. 

Asked whether Mr Burke had left Cobh Garda Station shortly before 7pm on the evening of October 13, the detective told Mr Grehan he did not know this at the time.

"It would appear no one had ed Mr Burke to tell him his client was being charged?" asked Mr Grehan. The detective said he had not ed Mr Burke, and also agreed no other gardaí had.

"Were you aware a number of of the press were advised Mr Satchwell was going to be charged?" asked Mr Grehan. 

"At the time of charging I didn't know anything about that," replied Det Gda Kelleher.

"But they were able to tweet about it before you charged him at 8.07pm?" pressed the barrister. 

The detective said he was aware that the press had "tweeted" about the charging.

The witness said he had placed handcuffs to the front of Mr Satchwell's body when he brought him to Cashel District Court in Co Tipperary the following day to be formally charged.

"Why was it necessary to handcuff him on this occasion when you didn't consider it necessary to handcuff him on two previous occasions?" asked Mr Grehan. The detective said he thought it was necessary.

Asked whether he knew what a "perp walk" was, and had he ever seen a person who had just been charged being paraded before the press, the detective told counsel that this "certainly wasn't the case". He said he had not charged anyone with murder before this event.

Mr Grehan asked the witness whether five gardaí had "escorted" Mr Satchwell into Cashel Courthouse on October 14. 

"There could have been more as the media were there," he replied.

Recalled

The lawyer asked the witness whether he recalled the garda car "pulling in quite a distance away" from the courthouse, rather than at it. 

"I've no control over where the car stopped," he said.

"But you agree Mr Satchwell was then taken out of the car and marched with all the gardaí around him up to court?" asked Mr Grehan, which the detective agreed with.

"There were full phalanx of the media present, cameras and the like?" continued Mr Grehan, which the detective also agreed with.

Asked whether this was a "perp walk", Det Gda Kelleher replied: "Now I know what one is, I wouldn't have used that terminology".

Mr Grehan asked the witness whether gardaí as a "corporate entity" were "overcompensating" for their failure in the investigation in 2017. The detective said he could only speak about his involvement in the investigation from 2021.

Asked whether he had "any view" about the search of Mr Satchwell's home on Grattan Street in 2017, the detective said it allowed him to build a foundation from 2017 "to work on material available to me at that time".

"Did gardaí need a forensic archaeologist to tell them about whether most domestic homicides result in a body being buried?" asked Mr Grehan. 

The detective said experts were consulted and they were invaluable.

Forensic archaeologist

A forensic archaeologist has told the trial how she reported it was possible that Tina Satchwell had been killed at her house and her body concealed there, after her research found that the majority of victims in "concealment" homicides are disposed of within one kilometre of their home address.

Questioned by Mr Grehan as to whether any expert was consulted in relation to what Mr Satchwell had told gardaí about how Tina had died, the detective said there wasn't.

Det Gda Kelleher agreed with counsel that Mr Satchwell had stuck to his as to how his wife had died, despite the efforts of gardaí, in the course of his interviews.

"He also told you that Lorraine Howard could some of what he had said about being assaulted by Tina Satchwell?" asked counsel. 

The detective said he was aware the accused had said that in his interviews with gardaí and agreed he had not been challenged.

The trial continues tomorrow before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of five men and seven women.

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.