RICHARD Satchwell has today been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife Tina as her family told how they “will never be able to forgive” him for what he did.
The British truck driver, 58, had denied the murder of Tina Satchwell between March 19 and March 20 2017.
Tina Satchwell’s family leaving the Criminal Courts of Justice this afternoon after Richard was handed a life sentenceNiall Carson/PA Wire
Tina Satchwell was murdered by her husband eight years agoCollect
Tina Satchwell’s mum Mary Collins leaving the courts this afternoon following the sentencingNiall Carson/PA Wire
The jury at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin reached the unanimous verdict last Friday after nine hours and 28 minutes of deliberations.
Mr Justice Paul McDermott today heard victim impact statements from Tina’s heartbroken family before imposing the mandatory life sentence.
They described her as a kind and gentle woman who loved animals.
Tina’s cousin, Sarah Howard said the “emotional toll of her loss is something I will carry with me always”.
She said: “I am here today to speak about my aunt Tina who was taken from us in the most violent way – taken from us by someone who was supposed to love her.
“What happened to her has shaken me to the core and I can never be the person I was before this happened.
“The emotional toll is something I carry with me always – Tina was not just my aunt but my best friend.”
Sarah’s harrowing statement continued: “Listening to the lies (of Richard Satchwell) was very hard – the horrible things done to her….being wrapped in plastic and buried.
“Richard decided to portray Tina in the trial in a way she was not.
“Having her name tarnished was very difficult – it ruined the last few weeks of my pregnancy.
“Finding out that Richard had put Tina in a chest freezer and then texted me a few days after to offer it to me…I was horrified…what kind of person can do that?
“I ask the court to consider the cruelty involved. This has left a permanent hole in our lives.”
Tina’s half-sister Lorraine Howard said the way Tina was buried in plastic in her own home “sends shivers down my spine every time I think about it”.
‘MONSTER TOOK TINA FROM US’
She said: “Hearing all the gruesome details and seeing many hours of Garda interviews – it had taken a physical toll on my body.
“Thinking about what my poor sister went through…the appalling way my sister was buried – wrapped in plastic and buried beneath soil and concrete sends shivers down my spine every time I think about it.
“We have so many happy memories of Tina. I feel Tina is with us.
“That monster took Tina from us…the rubble of her grave…he treated Tina’s body with such disrespect – he showed Tina’s dog more respect.”
She added: “I will never be able to forgive Richard Satchwell for what he has done.”
SATCHWELL TO APPEAL VERDICT
Satchwell appeared in court this morning in a light blue shirt and navy slacks.
His barrister Brendan Grehan SC told the court that Satchwell intends to appeal, and that he “never intended to kill Tina”.
Mr Grehan also said that Satchwell said “despite anything he said in the trial, Tina was a lovely person”.
The court was told the couple married in the UK on Tina’s 20th birthday, and later settled in Co Cork, first in Fermoy before moving to Youghal in 2016.
The trial heard that on March 24 2017, Richard Satchwell went to gardai and claimed his wife had left their Youghal home four days ago because their relationship had deteriorated.
Satchwell with a bottle of Cava, which he claimed he would open when Tina returned homeJohn Delea – The Sun Dublin
Gardai at the search of Satchwell’s house in Youghal Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision
Satchwell had also claimed Tina had taken €26,000 in cash from savings they kept in the attic, which the court later heard they did not have the capacity to save.
He formally reported his wife missing in May 2017 and claimed to investigators that his wife was sometimes violent towards him.
In the following years, he made over a dozen media appearances in which he spoke extensively about the morning he claimed Tina left the house and never returned.
After her remains were found buried under a concrete floor under the stairs in their home in October 2023, Satchwell claimed that Tina “flew” at him with a chisel.
He further claimed that to protect himself, he held a dressing gown belt to her neck before she went limp.
His denial of the charge was ultimately rejected by the jury who found him guilty of murder.
‘MASTER OF MANIPULATION’
And we last week revealed that cops believe Satchwell had spent MONTHS planning his wife’s murder, when he realised she was planning to leave him.
Detectives also suspect his decision to tell Gardai on March 24, 2017, that she had left him was also part of his plan to hide her brutal murder.
One senior investigator told The Irish Sun on Sunday: “The speed with which he flew into alibi mode would suggest a certain degree of planning in this horrific crime.
“He did a number of things very quickly and he put a lot of things into action after killing his wife.
“Once he had completed the murder, he then had a story in place about the disappearance and was portraying himself as a victim.
“He was also a great actor and had everything planned for the sole purpose of avoiding being arrested for the murder of a completely innocent woman.
“He had to have a strategy and that was playing the victim. He was a master of manipulation.”
Tina pictured with her dog Ruby on Christmas Day in 2016Collect
Richard Satchwell has been sentenced to serve life in prisonJohn Delea – The Sun Dublin Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
