A truck driver has been found guilty of murdering his wife, whose remains were found under the stairs at their home in Ireland.

Richard Satchwell, originally from Leicester, had denied the murder of Tina Satchwell on a date between 19 March and 20 March 2017.

Her skeletal remains were discovered at the Co Cork property in October 2023, six years after her husband reported her missing.

The Briton, 58, did not react as the unanimous verdict was read to the Central Criminal Court in Dublin.

The jury had been deliberating since Tuesday afternoon.

During the five-week trial, jurors heard from more than 50 witnesses, including police officers involved in the investigation.

Police discovered Mrs Satchwell’s remains buried under the stairs in the living room of their home. Her badly decomposed body was wrapped in a soiled sheet and covered with a black plastic sheet.

She was wearing pyjamas with a dressing gown, with the belt of the gown wrapped around her.

A state pathologist said she could not establish the exact cause of death because of how decomposed the body was.

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During police interviews, Satchwell said that on the morning of 20 March 2017 he found his wife standing at the bottom of the stairs with a chisel in her hand, scraping off the plasterboard, and claimed she came at him with the object and he fell back on to the floor.

He said Mrs Satchwell tried to stab him multiple times with the chisel and he grabbed her clothing and restrained her by putting the belt of the robe against her neck.

Satchwell said that in a very short period of time she went limp and fell into his arms.

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He said he put her body on the sofa in the living room, before moving her to the chest freezer and then burying her under the stairs.

Relatives of Mrs Satchwell wept as the guilty verdict was returned.

He will be sentenced on 4 June.

Well over a third of Europe, including parts of holiday destinations like Spain, Greece and Italy, are now in drought.

March was Europe’s warmest on record – a trend driven by climate change – and also saw below average rain across large parts of the north and east of the continent.

Now 41.2% of Europe finds itself in some form of drought, according to the latest update from the EU’s European Drought Observatory, which covers 11 to 20 May.

It is most acute in pockets of south-eastern Spain, Cyprus, Greece and Albania, where the strongest “alert” category has been issued, as well as parts of Poland and Ukraine.

But broad stretches of northern and eastern Europe through France, Germany, Poland and Ukraine also drying up, sowing concerns about crop yields.

On Thursday, the UK’s Environment Agency officially declared a drought in North West England after river and reservoir levels were licked away by a dry spring.

Greece tourism is ‘unsustainable’

In Greece, “overtourism” from millions flocking to its beaches adds further pressure to water supplies, said Nikitas Mylopoulos, professor of water resource management at Thessaly University.

“The tourist sector is unsustainable and there is no planning… leading to a tremendous rise in water demand in summer,” he told Sky News.

“The islands have an intense problem of drought and water scarcity.”

Islands like Santorini and Mykonos are now forced to ship in water from Athens or desalination plants to provide for showers and swimming pools. In the past, many residents could make do with local methods like rainwater harvesting.

But agriculture is a far bigger drain on the country’s water, with waste rife and policies lacking, said Prof Mylopoulos.

Wildfire season could be ‘particularly difficult’

This year’s hot and dry conditions are also fuelling the risk of yet another fierce wildfire season in Greece.

Last week civil protection minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis warned of a “particularly difficult” summer.

He said a record 18,000 firefighters have been deployed and the drone fleet almost doubled in a bid to combat fires being fuelled by a hotter climate.

Droughts and their causes are more complicated, but scientists at World Weather Attribution say global warming is exacerbating drought in some parts of the world, including around the Mediterranean.

They found the drought of 2022, which spread across the Northern Hemisphere, was made 20 times more likely by climate change.

The International Hydropower Association said drought and intense rain in Europe are pushing power plants to “operate at the limits of their existing equipment”.

Extreme weather costs the EU about €28.3bn (£23.8bn) in lost crops and livestock per year, according to insurance firm Howden.

Hayley Fowler, professor of climate change impacts at Newcastle University, said: “With global warming, we expect more prolonged and intense droughts and heatwaves punctuated by more intense rainfall, possibly causing flash floods.

“In recent years, we have experienced more of these atmospheric blocks, causing record heat and persistent drought, as well as severe flooding in other locations in Europe.

“Recent months have been no different, with prolonged dry conditions and heatwaves in northern Europe and floods in southern Europe.”

Former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has been awarded €100,000 (£84,000) in damages after winning his defamation action against the BBC.

The 76-year-old had claimed a BBC Spotlight programme and an online article published in 2016 defamed him by alleging he sanctioned the murder of former Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson, for which he denies any involvement.

A jury at the High Court in Dublin found in his favour on Friday after determining that was the meaning of words included in the programme and article.

It also found the BBC’s actions were not in good faith and the corporation had not acted in a fair and reasonable way.

Mr Donaldson, 55, was shot dead at a cottage near Glenties, County Donegal in 2006, months after being exposed as a British agent.

The dissident republican group the Real IRA claimed responsibility for the killing in 2009 and a Garda investigation is ongoing.

During the civil defamation trial, Mr Adams claimed the Spotlight programme was an “attempted hatchet job” that was “full of inaccuracies”.

The programme featured an anonymous source named “Martin” who said that murders had to be approved by the political and military leadership of the IRA. When pressed on who he was referring to, “Martin” replied: “Gerry Adams. He gives the final say”.

Mr Adams, who spent seven days in the witness box during the trial, described the allegation as a “grievous smear”.

He told the court that he had “liked” Mr Donaldson and was “shocked” to learn of his murder.

“Personally, I think Denis Donaldson was a victim of the conflict. I don’t see any other way of describing it,” he said.

Speaking outside court after the verdict, Mr Adams, who spoke in both Irish and English, said this case was “about putting manners on the British Broadcasting Corporation”.

Mr Adams told reporters: “The British Broadcasting Corporation upholds the ethos of the British state in Ireland, and in my view it’s out of sync in many, many fronts with the Good Friday Agreement.

“It hasn’t caught on to where we are on this island as part of the process, the continuing process, of building peace and justice, and harmony, and, hopefully, in the time ahead, unity.”

Mr Adams added that he was “very mindful of the Donaldson family” in the course of the case.

He continued: “I want to say that the Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan should meet the family of Denis Donaldson as quickly as possible, and that there’s an onus on both governments and everyone else, and I include myself in this, to try and deal with these legacy issues as best that we can.”

Asked what the outcome of the case might mean for his reputation, Mr Adams replied: “I’ve always been satisfied with my reputation.

“Obviously, like yourself, we all have flaws in our character, but the jury made the decision and let’s accept the outcome, and I think let’s accept what the jury said.”

Mr Adams’s legal team sought at least €200,000 (£168,000) in damages. The former Sinn Fein president had said he would give any award received to good causes.

His testimony during the trial was wide-ranging, including a lengthy account of his early years and political awakenings. At times, he became emotional as he recalled past events.

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The BBC denied it defamed Mr Adams and claimed the Spotlight programme and article were put out in good faith and during the course of discussion on a subject of public and vital interest.

It defended its “responsible journalism” and said that it was the result of careful investigation. The BBC also argued it was merely reporting allegations, rather than standing over them.

The British public service broadcaster also argued it would be a “cruel joke” to award the former Sinn Fein president any damages.

Adam Smyth, director of BBC Northern Ireland, expressed disappointment at the outcome of the case.

Speaking to media outside court, Mr Smyth said: “We believe we supplied extensive evidence to the court of the careful editorial processes and journalistic diligence applied to this programme, and to the accompanying online article.

“Moreover, it was accepted by the court and conceded by Gerry Adams’ legal team that the Spotlight broadcast and publication were of the highest public interest.

“We didn’t want to come to court but it was important that we defend our journalism and we stand by that decision.

“[Northern Ireland’s] past is difficult terrain for any jury and we thank them for their diligence and careful consideration of the issues in this case.

“The implications of their decision, though, are profound. As our legal team made clear, if the BBC’s case cannot be won under existing Irish defamation law, it is hard to see how anyone’s could, and they warned how today’s decision would hinder freedom of expression.”

BBC Spotlight reporter Jennifer O’Leary said: “I said in the witness box that I had nothing to hide, only sources to protect, and I want to thank them for trusting me.

“I’m a big believer in trying your best in life and going about your business with integrity, and I want to pay a particular tribute to our witnesses in court, senator Michael McDowell, Trevor Ringland, and in particular Ann Travers, who spoke so courageously.

“There are thousands of Ann Travers across this island and in Britain, victims and survivors of the Troubles, and in the years of violence after the peace agreement … those people carry the burden of their grief and trauma with incredible dignity and courage, and they are the people I am thinking of, I know my colleagues are also thinking of. I am thinking of all of them today.”