Only the introduction of Tina's maiden name could stir a response from ‘monster' Richard Satchwell

'My name is Sarah Howard. I am
Tina Dingivan's
niece.'
Richard Satchwell
, the man about to be sentenced to life for Tina's murder, moved his head up, ever so slightly, when her name was spoken.
Throughout the trial, the woman he killed, his wife, was referred to as Tina Satchwell. His name.
Sarah finished reading her victim impact statement.
READ MORE
If it made any impact, he certainly didn't show it. He never once looked at her.
But she made sure to look at him as she passed by the dock, an expression of disgust on her face.
Next up.
'My name is Lorraine Howard. I am Tina Dingivan's sister.'
Again, just a tiny movement of the head at the mention of that name.
Lorraine finished reading her victim impact statement.
Satchwell, motionless, eyes cast down, ignored her too.
It was only the pointed use of Tina's family name which seemed to stir some flickers of awareness.
Lorraine Howard said Richard Satchwell 'stole' precious time she would have had with her sister, Tina (pictured). Photograph: Irish Examiner
Both women called him out for the cruel, manipulative 'monster' he really is. They described how he continued to torture them with public outpourings of his love for his 'missing' wife after he killed her and hid the body.
They told him how his need to have 'ultimate control' over Tina led to her violent death and a lifetime of pain for her grieving family.
Sarah and Lorraine may as well have been talking to the wall.
Minutes later, Satchwell's lawyer would confirm to the court that he intends to appeal his conviction. He believes he didn't murder Tina. A jury of his peers agreed unanimously that he did. He couldn't control them.
And what Tina's sister and niece did from the witness stand in court number six on Wednesday was something he can never control either – they gave her back her name, the one she had before she met him, reintroducing the woman they knew before his malign influence infested her life.
He believes he didn't murder his wife, Tina Satchwell. She belonged to him. He loves her.
But, as the court case revealed, and her sister and niece confirmed, he couldn't allow a life for Tina Dingivan.
When her maiden name was so deliberately introduced – no mention of his, it was a simple, but very powerful gesture by her family.
Richard Satchwell holding a photo of his missing wife Tina at their home in Youghal, Co Cork. Photograph: Irish Examiner
And perhaps, with those slight flickers of recognition, Richard Satchwell knows that too.
There was little surprise in court when Judge Paul McDermott was told that the English-born, Cork-based lorry driver intends to fight on.
He thinks he should not have been found guilty of murdering his wife and dumping her body in a chest freezer before entombing her in a concrete grave under the stairs in their home and then contacting her niece to offer her the empty freezer.
Always thinking of others.
Gardaí and Fr Bill Bermingham after human remains are found following the search of Richatd and Tina Satchwell's home in Youghal, Co Cork. Photograph: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision
'To think I could have taken that into my family home and used it. I mean, what kind of person can do that?' said Sarah, in disbelief.
But the theatrically loving husband believes he should not be sent down for life because 'he never intended to kill her', said defence counsel Brendan Grehan, acting under instruction from his client.
Furthermore, counsel said, Satchwell wanted it to be known that 'despite anything that was said in this trial, Tina was a lovely person'.
You could hear people catch their breath in the back rows, where Tina's family and friends were seated.
Satchwell's self-centred delusion still had the capacity to surprise after a five week trial.
'It's not right,' a woman in the public gallery loudly whispered as the court rose and the prisoner quickly exited, head down, looking at nobody.
Despite feeling so strongly about the nature of his conviction, and being so keen to underline how he wanted people to know that 'Tina was a lovely person' (after lying about her being violent towards him and running off with their life's savings), he made no reaction when his barrister delivered his message for him.
But despite all which was said during the trial, Richard wanted to seem nice in public about the 'lovely' woman he murdered.
Self-serving until the very end.
The details of the case have been well aired. It's the stuff of true crime TV potboilers. But the callous nature of Satchwell's cover-up and his co-option of Tina's grieving family into his sickening narrative of a heartbroken husband desperate for the return of his missing wife was laid bare by the emotional testimony of Sarah and Lorraine.
Mary Collins, the mother of Tina Dingivin. Photograph: Collins Courts
As Tina's mother Mary Collins listened from the body of the court, Lorraine said Satchwell 'stole' the precious time she would have had with her sister, time he also stole from others 'even before he murdered her by isolating and alienating her from her many friends when she was alive'.
How could anyone who claimed to love his wife so much do what he did?
'I feel no sentence could ever be enough for the monster who took Tina from us.'
What does a monster look like?
A monster looks like a nondescript bespectacled little man in a rumpled over-sized blue and white striped shirt which hangs out over his navy trousers. He silently sits with his stubbled jaw resting on his fist, body angled away from the public and the witness box, head down. When told to stand for sentencing, he sticks his hands in his pockets and looks vacantly into the distance.
Cowardly, controlling Richard Satchwell murdered his wife.
Tina Dingivan's name lives on.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Irish Times

7 hours ago

• Irish Times

Rathmines locals protest over An Post move to sell ‘cultural icon' later this year

Protesters gathered outside Rathmines post office on Saturday morning in a demonstration against its relocation and planned sale of the building. The protest came after An Post this week confirmed its plans to move the Rathmines branch by September, paving the way for the sale of one of the most prominent buildings in the south Dublin suburb. Labour leader and local TD Ivana Bacik organised Saturday's demonstration, alongside local councillors Fiona Connelly and Dermot Lacey. Speaking at the protest, she said the building should be kept 'in community usage', adding that 'our priority is to keep the postal service in the retail hall'. Labour leader Ivana Bacik at the protest in Rathmines on Saturday. Photograph: Ella Sloane The imposing 1934 art deco building will be sold with two other Dublin post offices – Phibsborough and Tallaght – as well as a further three across the State, as part of the 'transformation of the national post office network,' An Post said previously. READ MORE At present, 95 per cent of the country's post offices are already contracted out to independent business owners, who often run post office services as part of a local shop. It is understood the Rathmines post office will move to a Centra store in the locality. Ms Bacik described the demonstration as 'a last-ditch appeal' to Minister for Communications Patrick O'Donovan and Minister for Expenditure Jack Chambers to not sign off on the property's divestment. 'The post office is a very well loved, much-used building. This is very much from the heart.' Ms Connelly stressed the importance of public buildings such as the post office 'as a community asset and a community resource'. Cllr Fiona Connelly at the protest. Photograph: Ella Sloane 'It's really sad to see a resource like the post office, that's in such demand and so heavily used, closing.' Enid O'Dowd, a local and regular user of the postal service, said the decision to sell the building was 'just ridiculous', expressing concern at the pressure the branch's relocation would place on the post office in Ranelagh. Speaking of the branch's speculated move to a nearby Centra, she said the shop 'is going to be a very crushed place with queues spilling out on to the pavement'. 'What's going to happen is people are going to start using the one in Ranelagh but that isn't big enough for the demand. They've only two cashiers there.' Enid O'Dowd at the protest. Photograph: Ella Sloane Cliona Buckley, who grew up on Leinster Road said: 'The last thing they [An Post] should be doing is shutting down memorable, protected, built for purpose buildings. What they should be doing is spending money cleaning up the front of it or they could have lovely potted plants or flower baskets and make it a feature.' She said the post office's planned closure and sale showed a failure by An Post 'to serve the Irish citizens'. Andrew Folan, Mary Freehill and Cliona Buckley at the protest. Photograph: Ella Sloane Another local demonstrator, Andrew Folan, said he felt 'absolutely outraged' by An Post's decision, adding that it was indicative of 'the digitalisation of our culture'. 'The analogue thing of writing letters, posting letters, distributing parcels and meeting the community while you do it is an essential part of our life. I think that the gradual shutting down of post offices is a very negative thing.' Mr Folan pointed to the need for 'a spacious building' due to demand for the service. 'This is a fantastic cultural icon, beautiful design and art deco, well built and a landmark for Rathmines. I think we should celebrate what we've got and show a bit more regard for our culture and our heritage,' he said. Former Labour councillor Mary Freehill, from Rathmines, said the recent loss of the suburb's citizen's information centre in 2022 had already taken a toll on the community. 'There isn't a place for people to come together.' 'Rathmines has very few publicly owned buildings,' said Ms Freehill, adding 'this is the only thing built by the Irish State in Rathmines. All of our other public buildings were built by the British.'

Irish Times

8 hours ago

• Irish Times

Cannabis worth €2m seized during search of Ballyfermot business premises

Gardaí have seized suspected cannabis herb with a street value of €2 million during the course of a search of a business premises in Ballyfermot in Dublin today. The searches were carried out by gardaí from Ballyfermot Garda station, Clondalkin Community Engagement Area, and detective gardaí from Serious Crime South. The drugs seized are now subject to analysis by Forensic Science Ireland. Investigations are ongoing. READ MORE This seizure forms part of Operation Tara, an enhanced national anti-drugs strategy launched by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris in July 2021. The focus of Operation Tara is to disrupt, dismantle, and prosecute drug trafficking networks at all levels.

Irish Times

9 hours ago

• Irish Times

Male pedestrian (60s) dies after being hit by tractor in Co Clare

A man in his 60s has died after he was hit by a tractor on the L7006 at Kilmurry, Sixmilebridge in Co Clare. Gardaí and emergency services responded to the crash which occurred shortly after 10.15am today. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. His body has been transferred to University Hospital Limerickand a postmortem will take place in due course. The coroner has been informed and an inquest is expected to take place at a later date. The road is currently closed to facilitate a technical examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators. Gardaí are appealing for any witnesses to come forward. Road users with any camera footage who were travelling in the area between 10am and 10.15am today are asked to make it available to gardaí. READ MORE Anyone with any information is asked to contact Ennis Garda station on 065 684 8100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station. Meanwhile, a young boy is in a serious condition in hospital after he was hit by a car in Co Donegal last night. The child was walking in the village of Ramelton when he was struck on the R245 road to Letterkenny at around 6pm. The emergency services rushed to the scene and the boy was taken to Letterkenny University Hospital for immediate treatment. The boy's condition is not yet known. There is a large volume of traffic in Co Donegal this weekend for the Donegal International Rally which is taking place over three days from Friday to Sunday. However, it is not understood that this incident was directly related to the rally event itself.