A deceitful husband falsely claimed that his wife had stabbed herself to death and audaciously reported to emergency services, stating, “My wife has a knife in her abdomen.”
Mohamed Samak, a malevolent hockey coach aged 43, denied the murder of his wife Joanne, aged 49, alleging that he awoke at 3am in July last year to find her inflicting stab wounds on herself in their residence in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire. Prosecutors contended that the former Egyptian international hockey player and Wales under-18s coach brutally murdered his wife due to his interest in another woman and financial difficulties.
Throughout the trial, Samak asserted that his wife took her own life and was grappling with alcohol and mental health issues. Conversely, her acquaintances and relatives refuted these claims, stating they had no worries about her drinking habits or mental well-being and that she was looking ahead to the future.
Joanne, the primary earner in the family, endured six stab wounds to her chest and abdomen, ranging from 2.5cm to 10cm in depth.
The court heard testimony suggesting that Joanne could have lived for 20 to 30 minutes following the attack. Samak contacted emergency services and reported Joanne as having a knife in her abdomen.
Samak initially lied about the circumstances, citing panic and the fear of being accused of causing her injuries. The Worcester Crown Court jury concluded that significant force would have been necessary to fracture her breastbone, making it improbable for her to have self-inflicted such an injury. Following a retrial, Samak was found guilty of murder by the jury, as announced by the Crown Prosecution.
This marked Samak’s second trial after an initial jury failed to reach a verdict. Subsequently, investigators revisited the couple’s residence and discovered a bag containing blood-soaked clothing in the loft, which played a pivotal role in securing Samak’s conviction.
Jonathan Roe from the Crown Prosecution Service remarked on Samak’s actions, denouncing his deceitful efforts to portray the crime as a suicide and expressing solidarity with Jo’s family during this distressing process.
Samak is scheduled to be sentenced at the same court in the upcoming days. The trial disclosed that the couple first met in 2011 in Taba, Egypt, where Joanne was lodging at a hotel where Samak was employed. They tied the knot in 2014 and settled down in Worcestershire.
Their decade-long marriage was marred by issues, with the couple sleeping in separate rooms. Samak admitted to missing the romantic aspect of their relationship, highlighting that they were leading somewhat independent lives. Joanne had confided in a friend her lack of affection for her husband and desire for a divorce.
Additionally, Samak confessed to reconnecting with a woman from France, with whom he had shared an intimate moment in London, keeping this information from his wife.
