Latest news with #MohamedSamak
BBC News
24-02-2025
- BBC News
Joanne Samak: Jury discharged in murder trial of husband
A jury in the trial of a man accused of murdering his wife has been discharged after failing to reach a verdict. Mohamed Samak, 42, has denied murdering Joanne Samak, 49, at their home in Chestnut Spinney, Droitwich Spa, on 1 July last year. Jurors, who had been considering the case at Worcester Crown Court, were thanked by the judge for their service during the trial. Mr Samak, a former Egyptian international hockey player and coach, will remain in custody while the Crown Prosecution Service decides how to proceed. The family of Mrs Samak previously paid tribute to her as a "loving, sensitive, generous person". Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Independent
13-02-2025
- The Independent
Man accused of wife's murder kissed another woman because he ‘missed romance'
A hockey coach accused of stabbing his wife to death kissed another woman he had developed feelings for because he missed 'romance' in his marriage, a court has heard. Mohamed Samak, 42, denies murdering his interior designer wife Joanne, 49, at their home in Chestnut Spinney, Droitwich Spa, in the early hours of July 1 last year. The former Egyptian international hockey player and coach claims his wife's six stab wounds were self-inflicted because she was suffering from mental health and alcohol issues, but the prosecution argues he killed his wife because of financial difficulties and becoming interested in another woman. She said we shouldn't have done this and I agreed with what she said and I apologised. It wasn't right because I'm a married man Mohamed Samak Giving evidence on Thursday, Samak said his marriage 'wasn't the best' and admitted he had rekindled contact with a woman from France that he had met in 2009 when he worked in entertainment at a hotel in Taba, Egypt. The woman was a guest at the hotel and Samak told the court they developed feelings for each other and kept in touch after she left but contact fizzled out and they did not speak again until the Covid lockdown in 2020. He admitted they had met up on June 15 last year when the woman visited London for work and said he did not tell his wife about the meeting because he did not want to upset her. After showing her the sights of London in his car and sharing a meal at a restaurant, Samak said he kissed the woman at the end of the night. He said: 'She said we shouldn't have done this and I agreed with what she said and I apologised. 'It wasn't right because I'm a married man. 'I stayed in the car and questioned what happened, it was great to see her and nice chatting to her after that long time, but the feelings, it wasn't right. It was really confusing for me.' It's not about an affair. I just wanted the romance side, the help, the advice Mohamed Samak He said he enjoyed speaking to the woman because he could share feelings that he could not share with his wife and confided in her about the issues in their marriage. He said: 'I liked talking to her, I liked the feelings I was missing with Jo, someone that you have a conversation with about personal feelings. 'It's not about an affair. I just wanted the romance side, the help, the advice. 'I think I was missing the romance side of things. She filled that part, and that's what it was. 'I was excited to see her, I liked her and we shared things I couldn't really share with my wife, about how we were feeling and opening up. 'The more we talked about the feelings, I was talking about Jo more, I wished I could have that with my wife.' When asked by defence barrister John Jones KC whether he and Joanne had been happily married, Samak, who became emotional during his evidence, said: 'I was fortunate to have Jo and the marriage wasn't the best but it's not that I think about leaving or thinking about having a different relationship with someone. 'We love each other, kiss each other as normal, but don't really share things as a married couple.' I never wanted to (leave), I wanted the marriage to work. Mohamed Samak Asked if he wanted to leave his marriage, Samak replied: 'I never wanted to, I wanted the marriage to work. 'I loved Jo. We were busy but it doesn't mean the love should disappear and I'm not just talking about physical, I'm talking about the emotional connection, not just sharing a bed.' Around four days after meeting the woman, Samak said he told Joanne he was having feelings for someone else, which left his wife upset. He said: 'I didn't want to mention her name or what happened, but share that we need to have a chat together because I met with someone and started to have feelings. 'She was emotional and crying. She was upset. I was the same and I told her I promise you this is not something that is serious, I can't leave you and it's just the feelings I'm missing with you.' Samak told the court his wife was 'disappointed' but admitted their relationship had become distant. She was drinking normal but during the week it started to raise in the last year or two. As soon as she would come back from work, she would go straight to the fridge and get the wine Mohamed Samak When asked by Mr Jones if the couple had argued, he said: 'It wasn't an argument but there were questions from her side, why would you do that, have you not thought of me, and I understand that.' The defendant told the court the couple never argued or raised their voices at each other and never had disagreements about money but said in the years before his wife's death, he was becoming concerned about how much alcohol she was drinking. He said: 'She raised it herself, she mentioned it and it was regular, something I see when I come back from work, I see empty bottles on the side. 'She was drinking normal but during the week it started to raise in the last year or two. As soon as she would come back from work, she would go straight to the fridge and get the wine. 'Sometimes she highlighted she needed to stop and slow down.' The trial continues.
Yahoo
12-02-2025
- Yahoo
Man accused of wife's murder told court he ‘couldn't keep lying anymore'
A former international hockey player accused of stabbing his wife to death told a previous court hearing he 'couldn't keep lying anymore' about his account of her death, a jury has heard. Egyptian national Mohamed Samak denies murdering 49-year-old interior designer Joanne Samak in the early hours of July 1 last year, claiming she stabbed herself 'repeatedly' before he found her slumped on a bed with a knife in her stomach at their home in Chestnut Spinney, Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire. Qualified lifeguard Samak, 42, claimed his wife was suffering with mental health and alcohol issues, but the prosecution allege he killed her after becoming interested in another woman and experiencing financial difficulties. In the third week of a trial at Worcester Crown Court, junior prosecution counsel Tom Walkling read out an agreed facts document, including details of a court hearing two days after the death at which Samak said he had changed his account because he was scared. The court has previously heard Samak, a former Egyptian international hockey player and coach who had worked with the under-18 Welsh national team, was questioned by officers about why he told them he had found his wife dead on the bed, before saying he saw her stabbing herself. Mr Walkling told the jury: 'On Wednesday July 3 the police made an application to the magistrates' court to extend the warrant of further detention. 'The defendant appeared by video link at that hearing. 'He was not represented at the hearing as his solicitor had indicated there would be no objection to the application. 'He was asked by the court whether he had anything to say in respect of the application. 'He said words to the effect of I only changed my account because I was so scared. I knew I couldn't keep lying any more.' Details of efforts to save Mrs Samak and the injuries she had suffered were also read to the jury on Wednesday as part of the agreed facts, which contain evidence accepted as being accurate by the Crown and the defence. Before the close of the Crown's case, the court was shown the knife found in the victim's abdomen after a 999 call made by Samak between 4.09am and 4.20am on July 1. The knife, contained in a plastic tube inside a clear sealed bag, was shown to the judge and counsel before being taken to the jury bench to allow the jurors hearing the case to examine it. The officer in the case, Detective Constable John Coleman, told the court that the knife recovered from the victim's body had been tested and found to bear no fingerprints. Prosecution KC Harpreet Sandhu asked the officer: 'Were you given to understand that the absence of any fingerprints was not unusual because the knife had a wooden handle?' DC Coleman replied: 'Yes, that is my understanding.' Samak, who turned professional as a hockey player aged 15, took to the witness box for more than an hour to start giving evidence in his defence, and was asked questions about his sporting career, background, and personal life. The former sports entertainment manager told the court how he first met Mrs Samak when she visited a hotel in the Egyptian resort of Taba, where he was working, and he came to the UK in 2014. 'She was just arriving at the hotel. She was in the bar. We were welcoming people,' he told the court. A friendship then developed through social media messages, Samak told the court, and his future wife made numerous return visits to the Red Sea resort with friends and family members, before they married in a ceremony in Egypt. Asked what his feelings had been towards his wife, Samak added: 'The connection was always there. It was always about the two of us. We were happy.' The trial continues on Thursday when Samak will continue his evidence.
The Independent
11-02-2025
- The Independent
Man accused of killing wife ‘cried when police said she did not love him'
A hockey coach accused of stabbing his wife to death cried when police told him she had said she did not love him, a court has heard. Egyptian national Mohamed Samak denies the murder of 49-year-old interior designer Joanne Samak in the early hours of July 1 last year, claiming she had stabbed herself 'repeatedly' before he found her slumped on a bed with a knife in her stomach at their home in Chestnut Spinney, Droitwich Spa. Samak, 42, claimed his wife was suffering with mental health and alcohol issues but the prosecution in a murder trial at Worcester Crown Court allege he killed her after becoming interested in another woman and experiencing financial difficulties. In a police interview on July 3 following his arrest on suspicion of murder, of which a transcript was read to the jury on Wednesday, Samak was told by officers that his wife had confessed to a friend that she did not love him and 'I wish I could divorce him'. In response, Samak became upset, saying: 'She never said that. I wish she did. If she is not happy about our relationship, why is she not bringing it out? I bring out stuff. 'She never said to me anything about that, it is the first time I hear this. 'I left my career, my country, I left my family behind for her. She said she loved me, she said she didn't have any problems.' Samak, a former Egyptian international hockey player and coach who had worked with the under-18 Welsh national team, was also questioned by officers about why he told them he had found his wife dead on the bed, before saying he saw her stabbing herself. Officers put it to him that he changed his story that there were no noises from his wife after he was told a neighbour had heard an 'almighty scream' that lasted seven to ten seconds at around 3am. He responded: 'I was frightened of the situation, I was scared. I didn't mean to lie.' When asked by officers why it took him more than an hour to call 999 and if he used that time to 'try and work out how to cover up' what had taken place, he said: 'I tried to help, I tried to stop her. 'I didn't do it, I was in a very difficult situation. 'I stopped thinking. Everything was so quick.' Samak denied that the couple had argued and that he had 'lost control', said he did not inflict the injuries on her and denied that they had money problems. He also told police he would 'never ever' cheat on his wife, even though he had been speaking to another woman and had met up with her in London. The trial was previously told that Samak had made a call to a debt advice service and shared worries about not being able to pay his portion of the household bills, which his wife would ask him to send to her every month. In one WhatsApp message sent to her husband in December 2023, Mrs Samak apologised for being 'an old nag' as she reminded him he needed to transfer her money. Analysis of his mobile phone had also shown he had made various searches for nightshift jobs in hotels, retail work and delivery driver jobs. The trial continues.
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Man accused of killing wife ‘cried when police said she did not love him'
A hockey coach accused of stabbing his wife to death cried when police told him she had said she did not love him, a court has heard. Egyptian national Mohamed Samak denies the murder of 49-year-old interior designer Joanne Samak in the early hours of July 1 last year, claiming she had stabbed herself 'repeatedly' before he found her slumped on a bed with a knife in her stomach at their home in Chestnut Spinney, Droitwich Spa. Samak, 42, claimed his wife was suffering with mental health and alcohol issues but the prosecution in a murder trial at Worcester Crown Court allege he killed her after becoming interested in another woman and experiencing financial difficulties. In a police interview on July 3 following his arrest on suspicion of murder, of which a transcript was read to the jury on Wednesday, Samak was told by officers that his wife had confessed to a friend that she did not love him and 'I wish I could divorce him'. In response, Samak became upset, saying: 'She never said that. I wish she did. If she is not happy about our relationship, why is she not bringing it out? I bring out stuff. 'She never said to me anything about that, it is the first time I hear this. 'I left my career, my country, I left my family behind for her. She said she loved me, she said she didn't have any problems.' Samak, a former Egyptian international hockey player and coach who had worked with the under-18 Welsh national team, was also questioned by officers about why he told them he had found his wife dead on the bed, before saying he saw her stabbing herself. Officers put it to him that he changed his story that there were no noises from his wife after he was told a neighbour had heard an 'almighty scream' that lasted seven to ten seconds at around 3am. He responded: 'I was frightened of the situation, I was scared. I didn't mean to lie.' When asked by officers why it took him more than an hour to call 999 and if he used that time to 'try and work out how to cover up' what had taken place, he said: 'I tried to help, I tried to stop her. 'I didn't do it, I was in a very difficult situation. 'I stopped thinking. Everything was so quick.' Samak denied that the couple had argued and that he had 'lost control', said he did not inflict the injuries on her and denied that they had money problems. He also told police he would 'never ever' cheat on his wife, even though he had been speaking to another woman and had met up with her in London. The trial was previously told that Samak had made a call to a debt advice service and shared worries about not being able to pay his portion of the household bills, which his wife would ask him to send to her every month. In one WhatsApp message sent to her husband in December 2023, Mrs Samak apologised for being 'an old nag' as she reminded him he needed to transfer her money. Analysis of his mobile phone had also shown he had made various searches for nightshift jobs in hotels, retail work and delivery driver jobs. The trial continues.
