Kelly Faiers, 61, was found dead at the home of her partner, Richard Scatchard, 70, in Minehead, Somerset, in October 2023. The cause was a fatal overdose of sleeping tablets combined with alcohol, the inquest at Somerset Coroner’s Court has heard.
Scatchard, a convicted sex offender serving a life licence after offences dating back to the 1980s, had a disturbing history that included drugging and sexually assaulting women. Despite this, he initially told police responding to the scene he had not had sexual contact with Ms Faiers.
While Ms Faiers’ death was first treated as non-suspicious, police reopened the investigation as a murder inquiry after further evidence about Scatchard’s past surfaced. The following day, police returned to question Scatchard, only to find he had disappeared. He was later found dead in a caravan in Watchet, Somerset, in April 2024.
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Senior coroner Samantha Marsh detailed Scatchard’s long record of offenses, which included attempted rape, administering drugs such as chloroform to incapacitate women, and recording these assaults. After being sentenced to life imprisonment in 2000, he served over a decade before his release in 2013. Scatchard moved to Minehead in 2020.
The inquest revealed that Ms Faiers, who worked at Bristol Airport and lived in Weston-super-Mare, met Scatchard through a dating website. Their relationship lasted about six months before her death. Her family described her as a “high-functioning” alcoholic, while colleagues shared accounts suggesting Scatchard’s controlling and abusive behavior.
Coworkers reported that Ms Faiers confided in them about Scatchard’s disturbing fantasies involving drugging her to have sex while she was unconscious. She reportedly bore visible injuries, including a black eye she attributed to a fall. Colleagues expressed concern over controlling, manipulative messages from Scatchard, including references to Ms Faiers as his “sex slave,” and texts asking about funeral flowers.
Pathologist Dr. Amanda Jeffery conducted the post-mortem and concluded Ms Faiers died from the combined effects of alcohol and sleeping tablets. Toxicology showed she had nearly three times the legal drink-driving limit in her system, alongside a significant dose of sleeping pills. However, it remains unclear whether the tablets were ingested knowingly or if her drinks were spiked.
Dr. Jeffery also examined messages exchanged between the couple shortly before Ms Faiers’ death. These texts revealed Scatchard’s highly sexualized and coercive language, including references to bondage, rough sex, and requests for Ms Faiers to take multiple tablets. Ms Faiers appeared reluctant, dismissive, and unwilling to engage in these activities, expressing discomfort and a fear of loss of control.
Empty blister packs of sleeping tablets and Viagra were found at Scatchard’s residence, and he claimed to possess explicit photographs of Ms Faiers. The inquest continues as authorities investigate the full circumstances surrounding Kelly Faiers’ tragic death.