A man with a 40-year history of sexual offenses coerced his final victim into taking a fatal overdose of sleeping tablets, an inquest has found. Richard Scatchard, 71, had been dating Kelly Faiers, 61, when she died in October 2023.
Faiers was unaware of Scatchard's past. The inquest concluded that she was unlawfully killed and that Scatchard had been coercive and controlling throughout their relationship. Scatchard went on the run within hours of Faiers' death and was later found dead in a caravan in Somerset. The coroner was unable to determine the cause of his death.
Coroner Samantha Marsh described Scatchard as "devious, cunning and untruthful." He had failed to declare his relationship with Faiers to his probation officer, a requirement of his parole. Marsh noted that because authorities were unaware of Faiers, it was difficult to ascertain what more could have been done to prevent her death.
Family members remembered Faiers as a "fun, bubbly woman" who was "very smiley and positive." Her family expressed anger that Scatchard was not stopped before he met her, questioning how he could prey on their mother despite his history, which included two previous jail sentences and an instance where police found a body bag and a spade in his car.