Satchwell's 'farcical' narrative of wife's death has more holes than 'Swiss cheese', jury told
Alison O'Riordan
Richard Satchwell's narrative of how his wife died after he held her off by the belt of her bathrobe is "absolutely farcical" and has more holes in it than a block of Swiss cheese, a prosecution barrister has told a Central Criminal Court jury.
Gerardine Small SC, for the Director of Public Prosecutions, on Friday gave her closing speech in the trial of Mr Satchwell, submitting that the the British truck driver had woven "a web of deceit" and continued his "fabricated narrative" over the years when he engaged with the media and "anyone who would indulge him".
The Leicester man, Ms Small said, was "shamelessly brazen right up to the very end" until his wife's remains were discovered at the couple's home in Youghal, over six years after Tina Satchwell was reported missing.
The trial has heard that on March 24th, 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 home found her decomposed remains in a grave that had been dug almost one metre deep underneath the stairs.
When re-arrested on suspicion of Tina's murder after her body was removed from their Cork home, Mr Satchwell told gardaí that his wife "flew" at him with a chisel, that he fell backwards against the floor and described her death after he said he held her off by the belt of her bathrobe at her neck.
The Assistant State Pathologist has told the trial that Tina's cause of death could not be determined due to the skeletal nature of her remains after they were found buried beneath her Cork home.
Addressing the jurors in her closing speech on Friday, Ms Small said the case was "calling and screaming out" for them to apply their common sense and experience.
Ms Small said that the jurors can infer intent from "the surrounding circumstances" of Mr Satchwell's actions, reactions and omissions, as well as the lies he told, the manner in which he concealed the body, the "whole web of deceit he wove" and the fact that it was not until Tina's body was found that his narrative changed. These, she said, were all matters for the jury to examine when they were looking at the accused intent.
Counsel suggested that in the immediate aftermath of the killing, Mr Satchwell had not sought any medical help and made no calls to the emergency services. "Nothing; he doesn't anyone."
Ms Small told the jurors that the accused created a false email to an international monkey rescue association at 10.42am on March 20, 2017 "in very close proximity to the killing", where he wrote: "I have put an awful lot of work into this and my wife is going to leave me as a result."
"That is a very calculated move on Mr Satchwell's part," the prosecutor told the jury. "It's very deliberate and very reasoned and what he is doing is creating a digital footprint he can avail of later down the line....it's a safety net because further down the line, he can say she was alive at that stage."
The barrister said another text message sent by the accused to "a Mr James" in a similar manner to the email were "two very deliberate and conniving actions" on the accused's part; "full of guile".
In his first with gardaí on March 24 2017, Ms Small said Mr Satchwell told officers he was not really worried about Tina because of the deterioration in their relationship; "again the deceit has been woven again".
She said Mr Satchell had continued this "fabricated narrative and deceit" over the years when he engaged with the media and "anyone who would indulge him".
Ms Small said during the accused's "enhanced cognitive interview" with gardaí in June 2021, he still maintained the same narrative of how Tina had left him. She said when the accused told gardaí he thought Tina may come knocking on his door, he did this "knowing full well she was buried under the concrete; it's absolutely callous".
The lawyer outlined that when Mr Satchwell was first arrested for his wife's murder on October 10th, 2023, gardaí had told him there was going to be an invasive search and that they "were going into the walls" of his home and digging up every inch of the house.
Ms Small said at this stage, Tina's body hadn't been found, but officers asked the accused what he kept under the stairs. She said Mr Satchwell had told them "bits and pieces".
"That illustrates how shamelessly brazen he is, right up to the very end, absolutely brazen and he maintains that position right to the bitter end until he is released from detention," said counsel.
Counsel told the jurors that ultimately, Tina's decomposed body and skeletal remains were recovered when the cement under the stairs was broken. She said gardaí then re-arrested the accused on October 12th.
"He knows the body has been found, you would expect this is a road to Damascus moment, you would be forgiven for thinking that, but no. Richard Satchwell now embarks upon another narrative and another web of deceit; this narrative has more holes than a block of Swiss cheese, it is laden with discrepancies," she continued.
Ms Small commented that Mr Satchwell's of how his wife died was "totally implausible and self-serving". She went through his on how Tina "flew" at him with a chisel and was on top of him trying to stab him.
"Curiously this eight stone lady versus a six foot two man never manages and doesn't get a mark on him but nonetheless she is still stabbing at him," she commented.
"For some reason he said he grabs her clothes but doesn't know it's a belt at the time, only after the deed he realises it's a belt, he said he is holding her off because he is terrified".
Ms Small submitted that Mr Satchwell gave no detail of the struggle because he could not be then probed by gardaí and "found out".
She continued: "Tina is well capable of getting up, she has her left hand free and can stop her own death, it's absolutely farcical but that is what he is telling gardaí."
Ms Small noted that when the accused was asked by gardaí to demonstrate what happened to his wife, he said he couldn't. She also said that when Mr Satchwell was asked how he held the belt around her throat, he said he didn't know.
Counsel also submitted that when the accused was asked what had caused Tina to die, he could not say but went on in his interview "to set up" the defence of self-defence for himself.
The trial continues this afternoon before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of five men and seven women, when Ms Small will continue her closing speech.
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 19th and March 20th, 2017, both dates inclusive.
