Fermoy GP denies seeing Richard Satchwell's face 'destroyed by Tina’s nails'
Richard Satchwell said that he had attended with scratches on his face in 1993 or 1994. File picture; Eddie O'Hare
A doctor denied on Tuesday seeing murder accused Richard Satchwell’s face “destroyed by Tina’s nails”, then telling him to “heal up naturally”.
Dr Deirdre O’Grady was giving evidence in the trial of Richard Satchwell, aged 58, for the alleged murder of his wife Tina Satchwell, nee Dingivan, aged 45, on March 20, 2017, at their home on 3 Grattan St, Youghal.
The couple had attended Dr O’Grady’s practice in Fermoy, Co Cork, for a brief period in the 1990s. But Dr O’Grady said she could not find records on the couple. Mrs Satchwell's notes had possibly been shredded or handed over to her new GP when she moved practice, as was common in the 1990s, Dr O'Grady said.
Mr Satchwell said that he had attended with scratches on his face in 1993 or 1994, defence barrister Brendan Grehan, SC, said. Mr Satchwell has alleged that his late wife could be violent and that she had attacked him before her death.
Mr Satchwell had attended a Saturday surgery in Dr O’Grady’s clinic on Abbey St in Fermoy in the 1990s “with his face destroyed by Tina’s nails,” Mr Grehan said. He said that he was told by Dr O’Grady to “heal up naturally.”
Dr O’Grady said she “most certainly” did not see him with marks on his face.
Mr Grehan also said that Mr Satchwell said he was told to "basically put up with it or leave" or "you have to stick it or leave it". But Dr O’Grady denied this. “Those are not words I’d use in that situation,” she said.
Mr Grehan also said that Mrs Satchwell had reported to Dr O’Grady that Mr Satchwell had taken an overdose around 1993 or 1994.
But Dr O’Grady said that an overdose was a very serious medical emergency. “That would be something I would recall,” she said.
When it was alleged that Mr Satchwell heard that the doctor had told Mrs Satchwell not to worry about the overdose because the amount of pills he had taken would not do damage, she again denied that she would say that.
There was no way she could quantify the damage caused by an overdose based on the amount of tablets a relative said someone took, she said. That would require blood tests.
On Monday, Dr O’Grady had told the Central Criminal Court that she had no record of Mr Satchwell attending her medical practice in Fermoy in the 1990s with scratches on his face. She said that she kept meticulous medical records.
Although Mr Satchwell had never attended her personally, she said she remembered Mr Satchwell attending with Mrs Satchwell for her medical appointments as she had “attended the practice briefly” in the 1990s.
A yellow biohazard bag contained the now soiled dressing gown Tina Satchwell wore on the day she was buried. A photo of that bag was shown to the court. The dressing gown had a St Bernard’s label, size 14 – 16.
Mr Satchwell previously said that his wife would wear dressing gowns in a size too big. Photos of a dirt-encrusted dressing gown belt were also shown to the court.
Gardaí searched for a wedding ring after Mr Satchwell told them he buried his wife with it, but no wedding ring could be found on Mrs Satchwell's remains.
Mrs Satchwell was 45 when she went missing from her home on 3 Grattan Street, Youghal on March 20, 2017. Her husband reported her missing on March 24, 2017.
Her skeletal remains were found wrapped in plastic and buried beneath a concrete floor under the stairwell in their terraced home in Youghal on October, 11, 2023.
Richard Satchwell, aged 58, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of his wife, Tina Satchwell, nee Dingivan, at their home on 3 Grattan St, Youghal, between March 19 and March 20, both dates inclusive.
The trial in front of Justice Paul McDermott continues.
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