A woman has been left traumatized after finding the decaying body of a sex offender wanted for murder – hiding in her caravan.
Nicky Kieley-Shier, 66, said she has had “daily flashbacks” since discovering the body of missing criminal Richard Scatchard in Watchet, Somerset, at 2 p.m. on Thursday.
The 70-year-old had been the subject of a police hunt over the murder of Kelly Faiers, 61, at his Minehead home on October 15, 2023.
Kelly 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. Paramedics pronounced Kelly dead at 4:15am.
Police spoke to Scatchard, but when they returned for further questioning the next day, he had disappeared — last officially sighted on October 16 in Watchet.
Nicky Kieley-Shier, of Taunton, Somerset, had locked up her caravan for the winter – and on Thursday, made the trip to Watchet to get it ready for summer.
Upon opening the door to the vehicle, Nicky felt uneasy, quickly noticing a foul smell.
She noticed a body on the floor, in the early stages of decomposition – who she later recognized as sex offender Scatchard.
“The caravans are locked up for the winter, so I was going down to set mine up and get it all ready,” said Nicky.
“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.”
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 color.
“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 stated that the ordeal has “come to an end, we have a conclusion but no closure which we are left to live with.”
“I feel sorry for Kelly’s family, because they’re not going to get justice or closure for this,” said Nicky.
Police launched several high profile appeals and CCTV in a bid to trace him after describing him as “dangerous”.
He was last seen in West Somerset on Monday 16 October and despite dozens of reported sightings none were confirmed as him.
He was wanted on a recall to prison alongside cops seeking him in connection with the murder probe of Ms Faiers.
Avon and Somerset Police said previously Scatchard was considered a risk to the public, specifically women he forms relationships with. He is a regular user of dating apps and has previously been convicted of sexual offenses in which he administered drugs his victims to enable his crimes.
Cops also released CCTV of him and Kelly together as well as his last known movements in a bid to trace him.
