A coroner has ruled that Kelly Faiers, 61, was unlawfully killed after being coerced by her sex offender partner into taking a lethal overdose of sleeping tablets and alcohol.
Ms. Faiers was discovered dead in October 2023 at the home of her partner, Richard Scatchard, 70, in Minehead, Somerset. The couple had been in a secret relationship for approximately six months, during which Ms. Faiers did not inform her family, and Scatchard failed to notify his probation officer, as required given his life licence conditions.
Scatchard was a convicted sex offender with a history dating back to the 1980s, involving serious crimes such as attempted rape, sexual assault, and drug-facilitated sexual abuse. He was serving a life sentence and had previously breached licence terms but was not recalled to prison. At the time of Ms. Faiers’s death, Scatchard was living under strict supervision but had concealed significant details, including possession of a second mobile phone from authorities.
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The initial police officers arriving at the scene intended to arrest Scatchard on suspicion of manslaughter but were overruled by a duty detective sergeant. Their concerns of unlawful killing were dismissed, causing frustration among the officers. The following day, Scatchard had vanished and was later found dead in April 2024 in a caravan in Watchet, Somerset.
During the inquest, Senior Coroner Samantha Marsh described Scatchard as “devious, cunning and untruthful.” Although there was no direct evidence that he forced Ms. Faiers to ingest the drugs, the coroner concluded that his controlling and coercive behavior likely compelled her to consume a dangerously high amount of sleeping tablets combined with alcohol. This combination led to respiratory depression and cardiac arrest, resulting in her death.
Ms. Faiers, a mother of four and an employee at Bristol Airport, had chosen to remain in the toxic relationship rather than face loneliness, a tragic reflection of her circumstances. The secrecy surrounding their relationship deprived Ms. Faiers’s family and authorities of the chance to intervene and protect her.
The coroner emphasized that while Scatchard may not have intended her death, his goal was to incapacitate Ms. Faiers to exert control over her. Whether any additional sexual offenses occurred remains unknown. An inquest into Scatchard’s death is scheduled to take place.