Hockey coach on trial after wife dies from stab wound

Mohamed Samak, ex-international hockey coach, denies murdering wife Joanne at Droitwich home as jury hears 999 call, bodycam footage & child’s testimony. A jury has been shown police body-worn footage from the night hockey coach Mohamed Samak’s wife died from a knife wound at their home in Droitwich Spa.

The 43-year-old, a former international player for Egypt and coach of the Welsh under-18s hockey teams, is accused of murdering his wife Joanne Samak, 49, in the early hours of 1 July 2024. He denies the charge, claiming that she stabbed herself in the heart and stomach in front of their 5 year old child.

At Worcester Crown Court, jurors watched video from the first officers to enter the couple’s semi-detached home in Chestnut Spinney. One officer is seen performing CPR on Mrs Samak while another directed the defendant back into his bedroom. As paramedics arrived, Samak repeatedly asked about his wife’s condition.

Prosecutor Matthew Brook KC told the court that the footage would later be linked to forensic evidence of blood found on one of Samak’s shoes, which he was no longer wearing when police arrived. “On his left croc there was airborne blood on it which was Joanne Samak’s blood,” he said.

Read more: Wife killer jailed for life: The Cardiff stabbing frenzy

The jury heard that neighbours had been woken around 3am by what sounded like screams and a child crying. One neighbour, Chantel Fisher, said she heard two distinct screams, the first lasting several seconds and the second shorter, both high-pitched. Another neighbour, Clifford Billings, said he also heard what he believed to be screaming before looking out of the window and returning to bed when he saw nothing unusual. His wife, Margaret, reported hearing a child crying “as if frightened”.

About an hour later, Samak phoned 999. Reading from the transcript of the call, Mr Brook said the operator asked whether he wanted police assistance. Samak replied: “Yes, please, I’m in some trouble.” When asked about his wife, he said: “She’s got a knife in her tummy.”

Jurors were told that Samak initially said he found his wife slumped, half in and half out of bed, and had tried to help her. He later told police that he had seen her stab herself.

The prosecution alleges that version of events is not credible and that he murdered her following a confrontation. Mrs Samak died from multiple knife wounds, including one to the heart.