The mummified body of sex offender Richard Scatchard was discovered in a caravan six months after he became the subject of a police manhunt in connection with the death of his partner, an inquest has heard. Scatchard, 71, vanished after his partner, Kelly Faiers, 61, was found dead at his home in Minehead, Somerset, in October 2023.
Unlawful Killing Conclusion
An inquest into Ms Faiers' death held earlier this week heard that Scatchard coerced her into taking an overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol. The inquest concluded the mother of four, from Weston-super-Mare, had been unlawfully killed. Scatchard was on life licence after being convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting women between 1986 and 2000.
Somerset Coroner’s Court heard that the last confirmed sighting of Scatchard was in the Watchet area of Somerset — around 10 miles from Minehead — the day after Ms Faiers' body was found. Avon and Somerset Police could not locate Scatchard and were unable to find evidence he was alive after October 2023. His body was found at a campsite in Watchet six months later when the caravan was removed from winter storage.
Identification and Clues from a Wristwatch
The inquest was told Scatchard, who was described as fit and well for his age and with no known medical conditions, was identified from fingerprints. In a written statement, Detective Constable Mark Evison said Scatchard was wearing a wristwatch set to British Summer Time. "This was immediately thought of as being significant by inferring that the time on the device had not been altered since at least the October 29 2023," he said.
"While the police had been unable to locate Richard Scatchard, the UK has been following Greenwich Mean Time, but due to a recent change to British Summer Time on March 31, 2024, this would have corrected a clock back to the current time accuracy. Due to the mummified nature of his body, it’s highly likely that he died prior to March 31 2024, ultimately inferring that the watch was last set prior to October 29 2023, and so therefore would have passed prior to this date because he never corrected the watch to GMT."
Mystery Surrounding Death
Detective Sergeant Craig Thomson said Scatchard had no known links to the campsite and that it was not known how he had travelled there. "We do not know for certain what day he went into the caravan," he said. He added that there was no evidence of any third-party involvement in his death or any intention to self-harm.
Pathologist Dr Deborah Cook carried out a post-mortem examination on Scatchard and said his body was "heavily decomposed." She said there were no visible signs of injury, no penetrating injuries and no evidence of self-harm. "Post-mortem examination confirmed near-total mummification of the body," Dr Cook said. "The internal organs were severely affected by decomposition, but there was no obvious natural disease to account for his death."
She said there was evidence of fractures to five of his ribs, which would have been sustained close to the time of death. "In an individual without pre-existing compromise to respiratory function, the probable effect of five rib fractures would be a degree of chest pain, a potential difficulty in taking deep breaths," she said. "But five rib fractures would not be anticipated to cause death. With the degree of decomposition present, it’s not possible to exclude a concussive head injury having caused or contributed to death."
Toxicology and Cause of Death
Toxicology samples showed the presence of alcohol and a compound found in sleeping tablets, cough medicine and hay fever medication. However, due to the level of decomposition, it was not possible to obtain accurate samples for assessment, the court heard. Dr Cook added: "Given the advanced state of decomposition with likely interval between death and post-mortem of over five months, it’s not possible to confirm or refute a hypothesis that death was due to sleeping tablet toxicity or to a combination of sleeping tablets and alcohol." She gave the cause of death as "unascertained."
Probation Breaches and Open Conclusion
The court heard Scatchard had kept his relationship with Ms Faiers secret from his probation officers as he was required to disclose "any emerging intimate relationships." He had been given two warnings for breaching his licence conditions and had been told he risked being sent back to prison. Probation officer Curtis Martin said Scatchard had been assessed as posing a medium risk. "He was assessed as being too argumentative and controlling with the professionals, and there were concerns that without these risk monitoring and controls being in place, he would be an increased risk towards the public," he said.
Samantha Marsh, senior coroner for Somerset, recorded an open conclusion on Scatchard’s death, saying there was no conclusive evidence to determine how or when he died. "I accept he would have known undoubtedly he was going back to prison, and he would likely have been there for some time, which is a fact I think he would have also have been aware of," she said. "In terms of findings, I find that there was no opportunity for the police to locate Richard alive earlier. He was someone who did not want to be found. I’ve got no evidence that he’s alive after October 16."
"On the evidence taken at its highest, I cannot determine how he came by his death. The date of death will be recorded in these circumstances as the date of discovery." An inquest into Ms Faiers’ death held earlier this week concluded the mother-of-four had been unlawfully killed.
