Caravan owner speaks of moment she found Richard Scatchard's body

Richard Scatchard, formerly of Thelwall, had been wanted by police ever since the death of Kelly Faiers in Somerset last October.

Following months of searching, the 70-year-old’s body was found in Watchet on Thursday (April 4) by Nicky Kieley-Shier.

Nicky had locked up her caravan for the winter but returned last week to get it ready for the summer.

Upon opening the door, she was greeted by a foul smell before noticing the body, in the early stages of decomposition, on the floor.

"I opened up the door and thought something didn’t feel right – I thought maybe someone had tried to get in,” Nicky said.

"When I opened it up, I bent down to open up the other latch, and then I saw a head and shoulders sticking out from underneath the seating cushions.

"I shut the door – I couldn’t believe what I’d just seen, but I knew it was a dead body.

"I got into my car and called the police and they were there within a short time.

"They asked me if I knew the bloke, and I said no. They didn't know it was a wanted man to start with either."

READ MORE: Police confirm decaying body found in caravan as sex offender Richard Scatchard

The caravan where Scatchard's body was found (Image: SWNS)

Nicky spoke to a friend about the situation - who quickly informed her of Scatchard's disappearance.

She added: "I was speaking to someone about it and they said there was a bloke on the run who had murdered his partner and the last time he was seen was in Watchet.

"I googled the man and an article came up straight away – the photo of him matched what I’d seen in the caravan.

"Although it was decomposed a bit, you could see that that was the man that went missing."

A forensic post-mortem examination of Scatchard's body proved inconclusive in determining the cause of death, though police say it is "apparent Scatchard died some time ago."

But the discovery has taken a toll on Nicky, who says she now experiences daily flashbacks to the sight of the body.

"I keep getting flashbacks," said Nicky.

"Every 30 seconds I get a vision of his head - his eyes had gone all red and his face was a grey green colour.

"I've been sleeping on the settee at the moment because it's light in there.

"Luckily, I'm getting psychiatric help, so I'll be able to get any help I need."

Richard Scatchard (Image: SWNS)

Back in 2000, Scatchard was convicted at then Warrington Crown Court after admitting to three charges of drugging his victims, two charges of indecent assault, one attempted rape, one charge of theft and one charge of burglary.

He had not been since October 16, 2023 - the day after the death of Ms Faiers at his home in Somerset.

Ms Faiers and Scatchard had gone out the night prior, after meeting on a dating app - but in the early hours of the morning, Scatchard called paramedics to his home, reporting Kelly as critically ill.

Police spoke to Scatchard, but when they returned for further questioning the next day, he had disappeared.