A former top-level Welsh hockey coach who denies killing his wife waited nearly an hour before calling 999 after discovering her injured, a court has heard.
Mohamed Samak, 42, who worked with Wales under-18s, is accused of murdering his wife, Joanne Samak, 49, at their home in Droitwich on 1 July 2024.
Worcester Crown Court was told that Samak initially misled police when they arrived at the property in the early hours. He claimed he had been asleep and woke at around 4am to find his wife unconscious, slumped over the bed.
Bodycam footage shown in court captured a tearful Samak sitting on his bed as he told officers he had turned his wife over and found a knife in her stomach.
Later, he revised his account, telling police that at around 3am he had seen Joanne stabbing herself while shouting, “Let me do it.”
“At 4.09am, the defendant called 911, which was directed to 999, and started to speak to emergency services,” prosecutor Matthew Brook KC told the court.
The 999 call was played in court. Samak can be heard saying:
“I am in some trouble…. please, I need some help, my wife, my wife. She has got a knife in her tummy, she’s got a knife.”
He continued:
“I was going to the toilet, when I found her she was on the ground with a knife in her tummy. She wasn’t doing anything. She was on the ground. She is not ok, she is not breathing. I found her with a knife in her stomach. I woke up, I wanted to go to the toilet, and I saw her in her room. She was on the floor, not in her bed. I then checked on her and turned her around. There is a knife in her stomach.”
The court heard the operator instructed Samak to start CPR—a skill he was familiar with from his time as a hockey coach and lifeguard—before police arrived. Footage also showed Samak asking, upon learning his wife had died, “Who’s done it? Who did it? Who killed my wife?”
According to Mr Brook, Samak told officers that when he returned from Cardiff, Joanne had been resting in the front bedroom, saying she was tired and unwell. He claimed that around 4am, on his way to the toilet, he glanced into her bedroom and saw her slumped over the bed.
“He told police he went into the bedroom to check on her and saw blood. He moved her into the hallway to examine her and saw the knife in her tummy. The defendant said he panicked, returned to his bedroom and closed the door,” the prosecutor added.
Samak told officers their relationship had been “absolutely fine” and that they had slept in separate beds for years. When asked why he did not call the police immediately, he said he was “terrified” by what he had seen.
It was only after police told him neighbours had reported hearing a woman scream at around 3am that Samak changed his account, admitting he had seen Joanne die. “He recalled seeing his wife stabbing herself in the bedroom. He said he tried to stop her but he couldn’t,” Mr Brook said.
Samak told police he did not intend to lie but was “scared and terrified” by the situation. He explained he had also considered calling Joanne’s mother, brother, and then the police.
The defendant claims his wife, who struggled with mental health issues and alcohol, stabbed herself. He said she regularly drank two bottles of wine four times a week.
A pathology report showed Joanne suffered six stab wounds, the fatal one cutting through her sternum, penetrating the protective sac around her heart, and lacerating her heart.
Joanne’s mother, Penelope Vale, told the court that the couple had lived with her and met while Joanne was on holiday in Egypt. After arranging Samak’s spouse visa, the couple moved into her home.
Mrs Vale described Mr Samak’s frequent absences for coaching, while her daughter, the main breadwinner, would rise early for work. She said Samak occasionally complained about the lack of a sexual relationship but confirmed she had no concerns about her daughter’s alcohol consumption, which she considered social drinking.
The trial continues.
