Investigating gardaí have denied that Richard Satchwell was made carry out a “perp walk” after he was charged with murdering his wife, with defence counsel putting it to a detective that his client was “paraded before the press” while handcuffed.
The trial also heard that members of the press were able to tweet that Mr Satchwell was going to be charged before gardaí had actually done so.
In cross-examination, Brendan Grehan SC, defending, asked Det Garda David Kelleher whether gardaí as a “corporate entity” were “overcompensating” for their initial failure in the investigation when Mr Satchwell was formally charged at Cashel Courthouse in October 2023 with Tina Satchwell’s murder.
Counsel said that the British truck driver was handcuffed to the front and “marched” by five gardaí into Cashel District Court, with the patrol car having pulled in quite a distance away from the courthouse.
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 – née Dingivan – at that address between March 19th and March 20th, 2017, both dates inclusive.
The Central Criminal Court has heard that on March 24th, 2017, Mr Satchwell told gardaí that his wife 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 conducting “an invasive search” of the Satchwell’s home in October 2023 found her decomposed remains in a grave that had been dug underneath the stairs.
Det Garda Kelleher told Gerardine Small SC, prosecuting, that he charged Mr Satchwell with the murder of his wife at Cobh Garda station on October 13th, 2023. The detective said he then cautioned the accused for a second time.
Det Garda Kelleher said Mr Satchwell had replied “guilty or not guilty, guilty” to the charge.
Under cross-examination, Det Garda Kelleher told Mr Grehan that he could not recall explaining what the offence of murder was to the defendant in comparison to other forms of homicide, such as manslaughter.
Det Garda Kelleher agreed with defence counsel that throughout the accused’s second detention, Mr Satchwell admitted he had lied about Ms Satchwell “having simply disappeared” and told garda that his wife had died in the course of a struggle.
The detective also agreed that the accused had never deviated from that position throughout his entire detention.
He told Mr Grehan that the defendant’s solicitor Eddie Burke was not present when the accused was charged with murder. Asked whether Mr Burke had left Cobh Garda station shortly before 7pm on the evening of October 13th, the detective told Mr Grehan he did not know this at the time.
“It would appear no one had contacted Mr Burke to tell him his client was being charged?” asked Mr Grehan.
The detective said he had not contacted Mr Burke and also agreed no other gardaí had.
“Were you aware a number of members of the press were advised Mr Satchwell was going to be charged?” asked Mr Grehan.
“At the time of charging I didn’t know anything about that,” replied Det Garda Kelleher.
“But they were able to tweet about it before you charged him at 8.07pm?” the barrister asked.
The detective said he was aware that the press had posted messages on X, formally known as Twitter, about the charging.
The witness said he had placed handcuffs to the front of Mr Satchwell’s body when he brought him to Cashel District Court in Co Tipperary the following day to be formally charged.
“Why was it necessary to handcuff him on this occasion when you didn’t consider it necessary to handcuff him on two previous occasions?” asked Mr Grehan.
The detective said he thought it was necessary.
Asked whether he knew what a “perp walk” was and had he ever seen a person who had just been charged being paraded before the press, the detective told counsel that this “certainly wasn’t the case”.
He said he had not charged anyone with murder before this event.
Mr Grehan asked the witness whether five gardaí had “escorted” Mr Satchwell into Cashel Courthouse on October 14th.
“There could have been more as the media were there,” he replied.
The lawyer asked the witness whether he recalled the Garda car “pulling in quite a distance away” from the courthouse, rather than at it.
“I’ve no control over where the car stopped,” Det Garda Kelleher said.
“But you agree Mr Satchwell was then taken out of the car and marched with all the gardaí around him up to court?” asked Mr Grehan, which the detective agreed with.
Mr Grehan asked the witness if there was a “full phalanx of the media present, cameras and the like?”.
The witness agreed.
Asked whether this was a “perp walk”, Det Garda Kelleher replied: “Now I know what one is, I wouldn’t have used that terminology”.
Mr Grehan asked the witness whether gardaí as a “corporate entity” were “overcompensating” for their failure in the investigation in 2017.
The detective said he could only speak about his involvement in the investigation from 2021.
The trial continues before Mr Justice Paul McDermott and a jury of five men and seven women.
