Mummified body of sex offender found after police hunt

Warning: This article contains distressing details.

The mummified body of a sex offender was discovered in a caravan six months after a major manhunt was launched following the death of his partner, an inquest heard.

Richard Scatchard, 71, was wanted by police after Kelly Faiers, 61, was unlawfully killed in his home in Minehead, Somerset, in October 2023. Earlier this week, Faiers' inquest heard Scatchard coerced her into taking an overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol.

Scatchard was on life licence after being convicted of drugging and sexually assaulting women between 1986 and 2000.

Coroner Samantha Marsh recorded an open conclusion as there was no conclusive evidence to determine how or when he died due to his "advanced" decomposition.

Det Con Mark Evison, from Avon and Somerset Police, said the "mummified nature" of Scatchard's body and the incorrect timezone on his watch were "significant" factors which suggested he died prior to 31 March 2024.

The inquest heard Scatchard had no known links to the campsite, which was ten miles (16km) away from his home.

Somerset Coroner's Court heard the last confirmed sighting of Scatchard was in Watchet, the day after Faiers' body was found.

However, officers were unable to locate him and inquiries found no evidence he was alive after October 2023.

His body was found inside a caravan at a campsite in Watchet after it was removed from winter storage in March 2024.

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.

Pathologist Dr Deborah Cook, who carried out the post-mortem examination on Scatchard, said his body was "heavily decomposed" and there was no evidence of any third party involvement in his death or any intention to self-harm.

"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.

"With the degree of decomposition present, it's not possible to exclude a concussive head injury having caused or contributed to death," she added.

Toxicology samples showed a presence of alcohol and the compound contained in sleeping tablets, cough mixture or hay fever tablets, but accurate samples were unable to be obtained for assessment due to the level of decomposition.

Cook added: "Given the advanced stage 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 added that the cause of his death was "unascertained".

Marsh, senior coroner for Somerset, said she would record Scatchard's date of death as 4 April 2024 - the date his body was discovered - as she had no conclusive evidence to pinpoint exactly when he died.

She told the inquest that she found "no opportunity" for police to locate Scatchard alive either.

"He was someone who did not want to be found. I've got no evidence that he's alive after October 16.

"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 added.

The inquest also heard Scatchard had kept his relationship with Faiers, from Weston-super-Mare, a secret from his probation officers, despite a condition for him to disclose "any emerging intimate relationship".

He had been given two warnings for breaching his licence conditions and was told he risked being sent back to prison.

Probation officer Curtis Martin said Scatchard had been assessed as a medium risk due to being "too argumentative and controlling with the professionals" and there were concerns that he would pose an "increased risk towards the public" without supervision.

An inquest into Faiers' death heard a police officer was told by her superior to not arrest Scatchard after the mother-of-four was found dead. The officer was told this move would have been "a massive escalation".

Multiple failings were found in relation to the police's handling of the case after the force referred itself to the watchdog.

After the conclusion of both inquests, Avon and Somerset Police issued another public apology to Faiers' family.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the force said the coroner ruled there was "no reasonable opportunity" for officers or the Probation Service to have known that the pair were in a relationship prior to Faiers' death.

"She was satisfied that had the relationship been known, then suitable action would have been taken to safeguard Ms Faiers," they said.

They added the force had "fully engaged" and made changes following a multi-agency domestic homicide review in 2024, an Independent Office for Police Conduct's (IOPC) investigation into its handling of the case and the coronial proceedings this week.

The changes include increasing the number of specially-trained officers to help manage sex offenders, introducing more training around unconscious bias and spotting the signs of false compliance.

"We hope these inquests have provided Ms Faiers' family with further clarity around what happened, and it is important to recognise the conclusion of these proceedings do not in any way reduce the pain they continue to endure," a force spokesperson added.

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