The mummified remains of Richard Scatchard, a 71-year-old sex offender wanted in connection with the death of his partner, were discovered inside a caravan six months after he vanished, an inquest has heard. Scatchard had been the subject of a police hunt after Kelly Faiers, 61, was found dead at his property in Minehead, Somerset, in October 2023.
Discovery of the Remains
Scatchard's remains were uncovered at a campsite in Watchet, Somerset, when the caravan was retrieved from winter storage. The inquest heard that Scatchard, described as fit and healthy for his age with no known medical conditions, was identified through fingerprint analysis. The last confirmed sighting of him was in the Watchet area, approximately 10 miles from Minehead, the day after Ms Faiers' body was discovered. Avon and Somerset Police launched a major manhunt but found no evidence he had been alive after October 2023.
Evidence from the Watch
Detective Constable Mark Evison noted in a written statement that Scatchard was wearing a wristwatch set to British Summer Time. This was considered significant because the time had not been altered since at least October 29, 2023. Evison explained: '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.'
No Evidence of Third-Party Involvement
Detective Sergeant Craig Thomson stated that Scatchard had no known connections to the campsite, and it remained unclear how he made his way there. He said: 'We do not know for certain what day he went into the caravan.' He added that there was no evidence of third-party involvement or intention to self-harm. Pathologist Dr Deborah Cook conducted a post-mortem, describing the body as 'heavily decomposed' with near-total mummification. She found no visible injuries or natural disease to account for death, but noted five rib fractures that likely occurred around the time of death. Dr Cook said: '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. But five rib fractures would not be anticipated to cause death.'
Toxicology and Cause of Death
Toxicology tests revealed alcohol and compounds found in sleeping tablets, cough mixture, or hay fever tablets, but due to decomposition, reliable samples could not be obtained. Dr Cook recorded the cause of death as 'unascertained,' stating: '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.'
Background and Probation Violations
Scatchard, previously of Thelwall, Warrington, was serving a life licence for drugging and sexually assaulting women. He had concealed his relationship with Ms Faiers from probation officers, despite being required to declare intimate relationships. He received two warnings for violating licence conditions and was cautioned about being recalled to prison. Probation officer Curtis Martin said Scatchard was assessed as a medium risk, adding: '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.'
Coroner's Conclusion
Senior coroner Samantha Marsh recorded an open conclusion, stating she had no conclusive evidence to determine how or when Scatchard died. She said: '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. 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.' The date of death was recorded as the date of discovery. A separate inquest into Ms Faiers' death concluded she had been unlawfully killed.
