Justice Minister voices concern over time taken to find Tina Satchwell's body
He said there is currently just one cadaver dog on the island of Ireland which belongs to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
It was announced last week that both the investigation into the murder of Mrs Satchwell, and of Co Kerry farmer Michael Gaine, will be reviewed.
A report is to be compiled and given to Mr O'Callaghan on Mrs Satchwell's disappearance while the case of Mr Gaine is undergoing a peer review.
Speaking on RTE Radio One's This Week programme, Mr O'Callaghan said he had his quarterly meeting with Garda Commissioner Drew Harris last week and brought up the murder of Mrs Satchwell.
'I think from the outset it has to be said that gardai deserve to be commended for getting justice in this case,' he said.
'The person responsible for her murder, Richard Satchwell, is now serving a life sentence.
'However I did raise with the commissioner concern about the fact it had taken a considerable period of time to find her body and he said he is going to prepare a report on that.'
It took six years before Mrs Satchwell's body was found.
Mr O'Callaghan pointed out there are 'very devious people out there who go to very great lengths to hide their crimes'.
'That was the case with Richard Satchwell, and it is also the case with the person responsible for the murder of Mike Gaine who hasn't yet been apprehended,' he said.
Asked whether a cadaver dog should have been brought into the Satchwell home in 2017 during the investigation, Mr O'Callaghan said 'probably, it should have happened'.
He said he also spoke to Mr Harris about the effectiveness of cadaver dogs.
'They're a very specialised dog in terms of trying to train them, there is one on the island of Ireland, the PSNI has one,' he said.
'That dog is sought by many police forces in Britain as well. We got the use of the dog here and he was of much assistance.
'It obviously would be preferable if we had a cadaver dog. They have a very limited work life, cadaver dogs, they're only operational for a period of about three years, they have to go through a very difficult training process.
'It would be preferable if the cadaver dog available on the island had been used earlier.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Guardian
11 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Police officer dismissed for sending racist and sexualised WhatsApp messages
The office of the Police Ombudsman said the messages, which were sent while the officer was on duty, contained material which was sectarian, racist, homophobic, anti-semitic, misogynistic and sexualised. The complainant contacted the Police Ombudsman when the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer continued to send the material, despite being asked to stop on two occasions. Nikki Davis, director of investigations at the ombudsman's office, said: 'Digital analysis of the police officer's phone showed that he had sent multiple images and videos, which were highly inappropriate and offensive, to the complainant, other members of the public and other police officers 'This was not a one-off, isolated incident, which could potentially be attributed to a lapse in judgment. 'It was sustained, consistent behaviour, exacerbated by the police officer's view, when interviewed by our investigators, that he did not consider the material to be offensive or his actions to be in breach of the PSNI Code of Ethics.' Mrs Davis added: 'When this kind of messaging specifically targets women and combines sexual, racist and sectarian references, it moves into the realm of online gender-based hate speech 'For a police officer to display these attitudes and behaviours towards women is unacceptable, and specifically undermines the PSNI's commitment to ending violence against women and girls. 'However, this case demonstrates that allegations of misconduct will be robustly investigated and that officers will be held to account, all of which contributes positively to public confidence in policing.' Following the conclusion of the Police Ombudsman investigation, a file was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in relation to the potential offences of Misconduct in Public Office and sending grossly offensive messages contrary to the Communications Act (2003). The PPS directed no prosecution. A misconduct file was then submitted to the PSNI Professional Standards Department. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher held a special hearing, after which the police officer was dismissed. He was found to have breached a number of articles of the PSNI Code of Ethics, including those relating to professional duty, equality and integrity. Eight police officers, who received the messages and failed to report or challenge them, were referred to the PSNI in relation to potential breaches of the code of ethics. The Police Ombudsman received the complaint about the police officer in July 2023. The office has previously called for fast-tracking powers in cases where it is clear from an early stage in an investigation that there is criminality or gross misconduct which could result in an officer being dismissed without undue delay. The chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, Liam Kelly, said such behaviour would not be tolerated. He said: 'Police officers are held to the highest possible standards both on and off duty. 'Behaviour such as this case has rightly resulted in dismissal from service and should serve as a timely reminder that similar behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.'
North Wales Chronicle
13 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Police officer dismissed for sending racist and sexualised WhatsApp messages
The office of the Police Ombudsman said the messages, which were sent while the officer was on duty, contained material which was sectarian, racist, homophobic, anti-semitic, misogynistic and sexualised. The complainant contacted the Police Ombudsman when the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officer continued to send the material, despite being asked to stop on two occasions. Nikki Davis, director of investigations at the ombudsman's office, said: 'Digital analysis of the police officer's phone showed that he had sent multiple images and videos, which were highly inappropriate and offensive, to the complainant, other members of the public and other police officers 'This was not a one-off, isolated incident, which could potentially be attributed to a lapse in judgment. 'It was sustained, consistent behaviour, exacerbated by the police officer's view, when interviewed by our investigators, that he did not consider the material to be offensive or his actions to be in breach of the PSNI Code of Ethics.' Mrs Davis added: 'When this kind of messaging specifically targets women and combines sexual, racist and sectarian references, it moves into the realm of online gender-based hate speech 'For a police officer to display these attitudes and behaviours towards women is unacceptable, and specifically undermines the PSNI's commitment to ending violence against women and girls. 'However, this case demonstrates that allegations of misconduct will be robustly investigated and that officers will be held to account, all of which contributes positively to public confidence in policing.' Following the conclusion of the Police Ombudsman investigation, a file was submitted to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS) in relation to the potential offences of Misconduct in Public Office and sending grossly offensive messages contrary to the Communications Act (2003). The PPS directed no prosecution. A misconduct file was then submitted to the PSNI Professional Standards Department. Chief Constable Jon Boutcher held a special hearing, after which the police officer was dismissed. He was found to have breached a number of articles of the PSNI Code of Ethics, including those relating to professional duty, equality and integrity. Eight police officers, who received the messages and failed to report or challenge them, were referred to the PSNI in relation to potential breaches of the code of ethics. The Police Ombudsman received the complaint about the police officer in July 2023. The office has previously called for fast-tracking powers in cases where it is clear from an early stage in an investigation that there is criminality or gross misconduct which could result in an officer being dismissed without undue delay. The chairman of the Police Federation for Northern Ireland, Liam Kelly, said such behaviour would not be tolerated. He said: 'Police officers are held to the highest possible standards both on and off duty. 'Behaviour such as this case has rightly resulted in dismissal from service and should serve as a timely reminder that similar behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.'
Belfast Telegraph
13 hours ago
- Belfast Telegraph
PSNI chief reveals officer sacked over 'offensive messages' is fourth dismissal in recent months
He also revealed that a further three officers have been dismissed without notice in recent months in similar circumstances after 'wholly inappropriate material' was shared amongst groups. The officer's dismissal followed an investigation by the Police Ombudsman. The texts, sent via WhatsApp over a number of months, including when the officer was on duty, contained material that was sectarian, racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic, misogynistic and sexualised. The complainant contacted the Ombudsman when the officer continued to send the material, despite having been asked to stop on two occasions. Nikki Davis, director of investigations with the Police Ombudsman's Office, said it was 'sustained, consistent behaviour'. 'Digital analysis of the police officer's phone showed that he had sent multiple images and videos, which were highly inappropriate and offensive, to the complainant, other members of the public and other police officers,' she said. 'This was not a one-off, isolated incident, which could potentially be attributed to a lapse in judgement. It was sustained, consistent behaviour, exacerbated by the police officer's view, when interviewed by our investigators, that he did not consider the material to be offensive or his actions to be in breach of the PSNI code of ethics.' Eight officers who received the messages and failed to report or challenge them were referred to PSNI and have been subject to management action in relation to 'potential breaches' of the PSNI's Code of Ethics. News catch-up Thursday 31st July The Police Ombudsman's Office also found some of the material was an example of 'online gender-based hate speech'. 'When this kind of messaging specifically targets women and combines sexual, racist and sectarian references, it moves into the realm of online gender-based hate speech,' said Mrs Davis. 'For a police officer to display these attitudes and behaviours towards women is unacceptable, and specifically undermines the PSNI's commitment to ending violence against women and girls.' A file was later sent to the Public Prosecution Service, which directed no prosecution. A misconduct file was then submitted to the PSNI professional standards department. The Chief Constable held a special hearing, after which the officer was dismissed. He was found to have breached a number of articles of the PSNI code of ethics. Mr Boutcher said the PSNI expects the 'highest standards of professionalism and integrity' from all of their officers. 'This matter was heard by myself in a Special Case Hearing and our robust actions show that we will not tolerate this damaging and unprofessional behaviour - there is no excuse. 'The messages repeatedly shared by this former constable were shocking, wholly inappropriate and discriminatory. The attitudes of sectarianism, racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism and misogyny within these messages have no place in policing. He added: 'Police officers exercise significant powers, and it is vital that there is an accountability framework for officers. If the public is to have confidence that we will police without prejudice and fairly, it is essential that just as we, as the Police Service, pursue perpetrators in our communities, we are as committed to rooting out those that may be in our own ranks.'
