Nothing could have prepared Nicky Kieley-Shier for what she found on opening up her caravan. It was the stench that first alerted her to the fact there was a decomposing body which turned out to be the corpse of a convicted criminal wanted for the murder of his partner.
Nicky, from Taunton, hadn't visited her caravan in Watchet, Somerset, since it was closed for the winter. She travelled to Watchet last Thursday to prepare the caravan for the upcoming summer season and made the grisly discovery.
Nicky immediately noticed an unpleasant smell when she unlocked the door. Her worst fears were confirmed when she spotted a corpse on the floor, which she later found out was Scatchard, a sex offender who was suspected of killing his partner and wanted by police, reports SomersetLive.
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She said: "The caravans are locked up for the winter, so I was going down to set mine up and get it all ready. I opened up the door and thought something didn't feel right I thought maybe someone had tried to get in.
"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."
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."
Since then, Nicky, 66, has been experiencing 'daily flashbacks' since finding the decomposing body of fugitive Richard Scatchard in her caravan.
Scatchard, 70, had been the subject of a widespread police manhunt following the murder of Kelly Faiers, 61, at his home in Minehead on Sunday, October 15, 2023. The pair had met via a dating app, were in a relationship and spent the evening together when she was killed.
In the early hours of the morning, Scatchard made an emergency call from his home, claiming Kelly was critically ill. Paramedics declared her dead at 4.15am.
Despite initially being questioned by police, Scatchard disappeared before further inquiries could be conducted. The last known sighting of him was in Watchet on October 16.
A post-mortem examination of Scatchard's body has failed to determine the cause of death, but police have stated it is "apparent Scatchard died some time ago."
Nicky said: "I keep getting flashbacks. 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."
The family of Kelly Faiers has expressed that while they have answers, they lack closure.
"I feel sorry for Kelly's family, because they're not going to get justice or closure for this," said Nicky.
Police had previously launched several high-profile appeals and released CCTV footage in an attempt to locate him, describing him as "dangerous". He was last seen in West Somerset on Monday, October 16, and, despite numerous reported sightings, none were confirmed. He was wanted for recall to prison and was also sought in connection with the murder investigation of Ms Faiers.
Avon and Somerset Police previously stated that Scatchard was considered a risk to the public, specifically women he forms relationships with.
He is a frequent user of dating apps and has previous convictions for sexual offences where he drugged his victims to facilitate his crimes. The police also released CCTV footage of him and Kelly together, as well as his last known movements in an attempt to locate him.
