Man given life sentence with minimum of 21 years behind bars for murdering wife in Droitwich last year
43-year-old Mohamed Samak has been sentenced
Last updated 31st Oct 2025
A man has been sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years before he can be considered for release after he was found guilty by a jury of murdering his wife at their home in Droitwich last year.
49-year-old Joanne Samak died after she was found with multiple stab wounds at an address in the early hours on the 1 July.
Her husband, 43-year-old ex-international hockey player and hockey coach Mohamed Samak, who denied murdering her and claimed she had taken her own life, was found guilty by a jury on Wednesday (29 October) after a five-week retrial at Worcester Crown Court.
Samak told a jury that Joanne had stabbed herself in the chest and stomach after he woke up at around 3am on July 1 last year at their home in Chestnut Spinney, Droitwich Spa.
Prosecutors said Samak killed his wife because he was suffering financial problems and had become interested in another woman.
The defendant told the trial his wife took her own life and was struggling with alcohol and mental health problems, although friends and family said they had no concerns about her drinking or her mental state, and that she had things to look forward to.
Jailing him for life on Friday, Judge James Burbidge KC said Samak's actions were "wicked beyond comprehension" and he had destroyed the lives of Joanne's family.
He said: "The emotion you disclose is either feigned or emotion based on self-pity. I cannot accept you are remorseful because you still deny responsibility and put Jo's loved ones through the trauma of two trials.
"You sought to besmirch her name by saying she drunk to excess and was not in control of her mental faculties. Nothing could have been further from the truth.
"The trial heard she always was a woman who held everything together."
He's today (31 October) been sentenced to life in prison at the same court, with a minimum term of 21 years before he can be considered for release, which after taking into consideration time already spent on remand comes to a minimum of 19 years and 247 days.
Following the delivering of the guilty verdict by the jury, Joanne's family paid tribute to her in a statement and said: “Jo was a beautiful, thoughtful person. She was loyal, kind and caring to everyone that touched her life. She was deeply loved by us, her family and her many, many friends.
“Most importantly, she was an amazing mummy. Her loss has had a devastating impact on everyone who knew and loved her, and we will never come to terms with losing her in such a cruel and senseless way.
“Jo’s zest for life was infectious. She was generous, creative and full of fun, with a wonderful sense of style and a passion for interior design, fashion, art and nature.
“Jo had so much more life to live, and we will miss her and love her forever."