Drug rape killer Richard Scatchard 'should not have been released' - BBC News
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Drug rape killer should never have been freed, says victim
By Rachel Stonehouse and Martin Jones, BBC West Investigations
A man who drugged multiple women over a 40-year period and eventually killed his partner should never have been released from prison, according to one of his victims.
Richard Scatchard was jailed twice but released on licence in 2013. He went on to kill Kelly Faiers in 2023 by coercing her into taking sleeping tablets after drinking alcohol. Some experts and a former police detective believe he should not have been free to kill her, having shown signs he was a danger to women.
Krystyna, 70, has waived her legal right to anonymity to speak publicly for the first time about her abuse by Scatchard. He went on the run after Kelly's death and was found dead in a caravan park six months later.
The National Crime Agency has said there is an "urgent need" to deal with what it said is a growing international issue of men drugging and raping women—sometimes filming the assaults and posting them online.
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"I went from having a safe, happy life to not having a life," says Krystyna.
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Krystyna became friends with Scatchard in 1997 and used to walk his dog and go for meals with him. But soon he invited her into his home, encouraging her to drink wine—which unbeknown to Krystyna he'd drugged.
"When I used to be coming round, I'd have no clothes on." Krystyna
She knew what he was doing was "really bad" and feared for her life. After Scatchard started to stalk and harass her, she went to police and revealed her belief that he was drugging her.
"I told them about how I'd have to stop my car on the way home because I was being sick in the hedge and my car was all over the show on the motorway." Krystyna
Scatchard was arrested for drugging Krystyna and two other women. He'd filmed his crimes, and was given four life sentences at Warrington Crown Court in 2000. Krystyna believes Scatchard should never have been released from prison, saying the judge said "he would always be a danger to women."
The whole experience has been life-changing for Krystyna. She lost friends, her job, and even ended up homeless because of the stigma and effect on her.