Gardaí became increasingly concerned as a missing persons inquiry in 2017 into the whereabouts of Tina Satchwell produced no evidence as to where she might be, the Central Criminal Court in Dublin has been told.
Retired sergeant John Sharkey, formerly of Youghal Garda Station, Co Cork, said that in the two or three weeks after Ms Satchwell was formally reported missing by her husband, Richard Satchwell, on May 11th, 2017, he became suspicious something “untoward” had happened.
In an application for a search warrant to the District Court at Youghal on June 2nd, 2017, Sgt Sharkey said Mr Satchwell had told gardaí his wife had assaulted him previously and that he, Sgt Sharkey, suspected Ms Satchwell “may have been injured or incapacitated in a criminal event”.
Sgt Sharkey was responding to questions from Brendan Grehan SC, counsel for Mr Satchwell (58), who denies the murder of his 45-year-old wife, Tina, at their home at No 3 Grattan Street, Youghal, between March 19th and 20th, 2017. Her body was found in the house in October 2023.
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It is the second day of evidence in the trial before a jury presided over by Mr Justice Paul McDermott.
Asked about his suspicions concerning about Ms Satchwell at the time the search warrant was applied for, Sgt Sharkey said he was not alone within the gardaí in having suspicions as to what may have happened.
“It would have been a corporate suspicion,” he said.
Sgt Sharkey told the court the station in Youghal first became aware of concerns about Ms Satchwell in late March or early April when her husband told the station in Fermoy she had left home suddenly.
Garda Cathal Whelan told Gerardine Small SC, for the prosecution, he had taken photographs of the Satchwell home on Grattan Street during the June 7th search.
He described the old three storey house as untidy and unkempt, with a birdcage that had not been cleaned in a long time, a number of dog boxes, and unwashed dishes in the kitchen.
One upstairs room contained hundreds of items of clothing hanging on rails, and there was further clothing in a room in the attic, as well as a sunbed, he said.
A senior officer also testified on Wednesday that Mr Satchwell, a truck driver originally from Leicester in the UK, told him Ms Satchwell had physically assaulted him in the past and on two occasions, “knocked him out cold”. Mr Satchwell said he had never once reacted to “these outbursts” and instead would “drive away and have a cry”.
Inspector Daniel Holland told Ms Small that Mr Satchwell voluntarily attended Midleton Garda Station the day after the search. The Insp said they talked about the couple’s relationship and Mr Satchwell explained how he had given up a lot of his life to be with Tina, that his family didn’t approve of the relationship and they no longer spoke to him. The accused said he wanted to have children but his wife didn’t.
Mr Satchwell had told the Inspector that Ms Satchwell’s mood had deteriorated prior to Christmas 2016 and she had assaulted him the week before she went missing.
Mr Holland said the accused told him he fully expected his wife to return home but he was concerned that publicity from the social media appeals may be an obstacle to her returning, in that people might ridicule her for leaving in the first place.
The jury also on Wednesday viewed video clips of Mr Satchwell making media appeals about his wife months after he is alleged to have murdered her, telling RTÉ viewers: “Tina come home, no one’s mad at you, the pets are missing you like crazy, we just want and need you back”.
