Richard Satchwell has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife, Tina, in their home in Cork more than eight years ago.
After a trial lasting almost five weeks, the jury at the Central Criminal Court took just under nine-and-a-half hours to find Satchwell guilty of murder last week.
Mr Justice Paul McDermott heard victim impact statements from Tina's family, who used her maiden name - Tina Dingivan - before imposing the mandatory life sentence.
Ms Dingivan's niece, Sarah Howard, said she could not comprehend how someone who had claimed to love Tina could do something so cruel.
She said she missed her every day and she was sad to think of all the things her aunt had missed.
Tina was not violent but was caring, gentle and loyal to those she loved and having her name tarnished in court was very difficult, she added.
Ms Howard said her aunt's body had been put in a chest freezer which Satchwell had offered to her a few days later.
She said she was horrified to think she could have taken this freezer into her family home and used it. And she asked: "What kind of person would do that?"
She asked the judge to consider not just the crime committed by Satchwell but the cruelty, deception and the false hope that he had created, that Tina might one day turn up. She said the murder had left a permanent hole in their lives.
Ms Dingivan's sister, Lorraine Howard, said Tina had a soft and loving soul and hated to see any animal neglected or in pain. As children, they would frequently bring stray animals to the vet.
She said her interest in fashion had been portrayed negatively in the trial, but she said everyone had interests and Tina's was fashion. She said she did not drink or go out - fashion was her escape.
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Ms Howard said the trial heard that they had fallen out, but she knew they would have made up and become best friends again.
However, she said, Satchwell had stolen that chance from them and from others even before he murdered her, by isolating her and alienating her from her many friends.
She said he had pushed the narrative that she was a violent and coercive-natured woman, something that could not be further from the truth. And she said she was thankful, the jury had seen through Satchwell’s lies.
Ms Howard said the trial had taken a physical toll on her. She could not eat or sleep and had nightmares thinking about what her sister went through, including the appalling way she was buried.
She said no sentence could ever be enough for the "monster" who took her. He spread rubble from her grave all around their most special places and she said he treated the body of their dog Heidi, with more respect than Tina's remains.
Satchwell had 14 previous convictions
Ms Howard said Satchwell wanted Tina where he could still have the ultimate control - in his home under the stairs. She said the master manipulator had manipulated them for years - having taken her life, he did not even have the decency to give them her body and let them mourn her death.
She said he had put them through the ultimate hell and she would never forgive him for what he had done.
Satchwell’s defence counsel Brendan Grehan said his client had asked him to say he intended to appeal, that he insisted he never intended to kill Tina and despite anything said in the trial, she was a lovely person.
Mr Justice McDermott imposed the mandatory life sentence and expressed his condolences to Ms Dingivan’s family.
Satchwell had 14 previous convictions between 1999 and 2004. These included larceny from a shop, having a fraudulent tax disc, cheque book fraud, theft and public order.
Watch: Lead investigator thankful justice served
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Outside court, Superintendent Ann Marie Twomey, who led the investigation from August 2021, said gardaí were thankful the investigation had provided answers and a sense of justice for Tina's family and the wider community.
No resolution could erase the pain of loss, Supt Twomey said, but she sincerely hoped the conclusion of the case brought some measure of comfort to Tina’s family.
She said gardaí wished to extend their deepest gratitude to the witnesses in the case and all of those who had assisted in the investigation.
Supt Twomey said this had formed "an essential part of the journey".
They also wanted to acknowledge the support of the wider community especially in Fermoy and Youghal, she added.
Supt Twomey also said the investigation team was happy that justice had been served for Tina.
