A dramatic trial at Worcester Crown Court has taken a shocking turn in the case of former hockey coach Mohamed Samak, 42, who stands accused of murdering his wife, Joanne Samak, 49. The incident occurred in the early hours of July 1 last year at their Chestnut Spinney home in Droitwich Spa, when Samak claims he awoke at around 3 am to witness his interior designer wife allegedly stabbing herself, according to the Independent.
Prosecutors allege that Samak, once an Egyptian international hockey player and coach with the Wales under-18s team, killed his wife amid mounting financial problems and a growing attraction to another woman. The couple’s troubled marriage had been marked by longstanding issues, with reports revealing they slept in separate bedrooms and that Samak lamented missing the “romance” in their relationship.
Testimony revealed that Joanne sustained six stab wounds, including a fatal injury to her heart. Shockingly, Samak admitted he did not call emergency services until one hour and 10 minutes after the attack. He described his state following the incident: “I was in shock, I was panicking. My brain went blinded. I didn’t make any call and I know I was wrong, but I was panicking and I didn’t know what to do.” Despite being fully qualified in CPR, owing to his coaching background and previous work as a lifeguard, he confessed that he failed to perform “proper” CPR, even though a first aid kit was available in his bedroom.
In his defense, Samak contends that Joanne suffered from mental health issues and alcohol problems, claiming that she had taken her own life. However, during cross-examination, prosecution KC Harpreet Sandhu challenged his narrative. “You have tried to portray Jo as someone who had an alcohol problem. The reality is that Jo didn’t have an alcohol problem, she drank socially and there may have been times she had more glasses of wine than allowed her to feel comfortable the next day, but she wasn’t a problem drinker.
“A pathologist told us her liver was basically normal and didn’t have any signs of long-term alcohol abuse. The evidence of her friends is that she enjoyed a drink but wasn’t drunk. “You know fully well that Jo did not have any alcohol issues but you have made out she did to support your lying account that she took her own life.
“Over the hour and 10 minutes during which she was dying, you wanted her to die, didn’t you? If you didn’t, you would have done something to help her.”
Samak retorted, “No, it’s not true, it’s not correct. I didn’t say she was an alcoholic but the alcohol raised after Covid and raised more in the last year. I highlighted that and when she got stressed she used to drink. When you see bottles on the side and bottles in the fridge. You worry about your wife. I shared (my concerns) with her brother.”
Under intense questioning, further accusations emerged suggesting that Samak’s inaction was deliberate. When pressed on why he delayed calling for help, he maintained, “I did not kill my wife. Jo stabbed herself. That is the truth.” Yet the prosecutor pressed, “The point is this isn’t it – when you said you didn’t know what number to call as you weren’t from the UK, that was nonsense wasn’t it?” Samak responded, “I never called the ambulance before. I was going through a lot.
I was in shock, I was panicking. My brain went blinded. I didn’t make any call and I know I was wrong, but I was panicking and I didn’t know what to do. The question in my head was: ‘Why has she done it, was it because of me?’ I didn’t know what to do. My brain, was difficult to think. I was emotional and I was shocked.”
Further, when asked, “You didn’t wake up to find Jo stabbing herself did you?” Samak replied, “I did. I didn’t lie about this. I probably might have lied because I was the only person in the house and thinking I would take the blame for it and I will say that always because that is what happened.” The trial continues as the court scrutinizes the inconsistencies in Samak’s account, with a verdict eagerly awaited by a community in shock.
