Truck driver guilty of murdering wife after her remains were found under stairs

A truck driver has been found guilty of murdering his wife, whose remains were found under the stairs at their home in Ireland.

Richard Satchwell, originally from Leicester, had denied the murder of Tina Satchwell on a date between 19 March and 20 March 2017. Her skeletal remains were discovered at the Co Cork property in October 2023, six years after her husband reported her missing.

The Briton, 58, did not react as the unanimous verdict was read to the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. The jury had been deliberating since Tuesday afternoon.

During the five-week trial, jurors heard from more than 50 witnesses, including police officers involved in the investigation. Police discovered Mrs Satchwell's remains buried under the stairs in the living room of their home.

Her badly decomposed body was wrapped in a soiled sheet and covered with a black plastic sheet. She was wearing pyjamas with a dressing gown, with the belt of the gown wrapped around her.

A state pathologist said she could not establish the exact cause of death because of how decomposed the body was. Read more from Sky News:How melting ice is boosting Russia's militaryHamas says Gaza ceasefire plan 'under discussion' During police interviews, Satchwell said that on the morning of 20 March 2017 he found his wife standing at the bottom of the stairs with a chisel in her hand, scraping off the plasterboard, and claimed she came at him with the object and he fell back on to the floor.

He said Mrs Satchwell tried to stab him multiple times with the chisel and he grabbed her clothing and restrained her by putting the belt of the robe against her neck. Satchwell said that in a very short period of time she went limp and fell into his arms.

He said he put her body on the sofa in the living room, before moving her to the chest freezer and then burying her under the stairs. Relatives of Mrs Satchwell wept as the guilty verdict was returned.

He will be sentenced on 4 June..