In a gripping courtroom climax, prosecutors eviscerated Richard Satchwell’s claims about his wife Tina’s disappearance, branding them “self-serving” and riddled with contradictions.
Satchwell denies murdering Tina in 2017, but her body was shockingly discovered buried under the stairs of their Cork home in 2023.
Prosecutor Gerardine Small painted him as a calculated manipulator who spun an intricate web of lies right down to fake emails and public appeals while knowing his wife was dead.
Small slammed his evolving narrative as implausible and deceitful, especially noting the lack of defensive injuries on Tina despite Satchwell’s claim of a struggle.
She argued that his actions, hiding the body, collecting welfare, visiting family, and crafting digital alibis, were chillingly deliberate.
The jury was urged to apply common sense, weighing Satchwell’s lies and omissions as signs of guilt. Although no motive is required, his fear of Tina leaving after 28 years may be telling. His callous claim she could reappear with another man was highlighted as particularly cruel.
This is a case, Small said, “screaming for common sense.”