Tina Satchwell case: Husband charged with murder six years after reporting her missing

The husband of missing Cork woman, Tina Satchwell has been remanded in custody after he was charged with the murder of his wife over six years after he reported her missing to gardaí.

Richard Satchwell (57) was charged with the murder of Ms Satchwell at their home at Grattan Street in Youghal on March 20th, 2017, contrary to Common Law when he was brought amid tight security to a special sitting of Cashel District Court in Co Tipperary this morning.

Det Garda David Kelleher of Cobh Garda station gave evidence of arrest charge and caution and told how he arrested Mr Satchwell at Cobh Garda station at 8.07pm on October 13th and charged him with his wife’s murder.

Insp Aidan Lonergan applied for a remand in custody for Mr Satchwell to appear again at Clonmel District Court by video link on Tuesday, October 17th and Judge Miriam Walsh granted the application and remanded Mr Satchwell to appear in court again in that date.

Dressed in a black t-shirt and grey tracksuits pants, Mr Satchwell sat with his hands clasped and his head slightly bowed and did not speak during the six minute hearing as his solicitor, Eddie Burke, consented to the remand in custody and applied for free legal aid which Judge Walsh granted.

Mr Burke also applied to have his client medically assessed upon entry into the prison system and Judge Walsh granted the application and recommended that he be medically assessed and given any necessary treatment while on remand.

Mr Satchwell was arrested for questioning about the murder of Ms Satchwell at around midday on Thursday following the discovery on Wednesday evening of human remains tightly wrapped in black plastic under the stairs of the house they shared at Grattan Street.

Gardaí believed the remains were those of Ms Satchwell as they contained a belly button stud and Tweety Bird tattoo which they knew Ms Satchwell wore, but a check of dental records by Assistant State Pathologist, Dr Margot Bolster, at postmortem confirmed they were those of the missing woman.

Ms Satchwell was reported missing on March 24th, 2017 after having disappeared from her house in Youghal four days earlier but despite an extensive search by gardaí including checks at airports and ferry ports, they could find no trace of her over the intervening six years and six months.

A native of Leicester in the British Midlands, Mr Satchwell moved to Ireland over 30 years ago after he married Tina Dingivan in Oldham in 1991 and the couple returned to live in her hometown of Fermoy before moving to live in Youghal in 2016.