THE FAMILY of a ‘beautiful, thoughtful’ Joanne Samak have paid tribute to her after her husband was convicted of killing her in their Droitwich home.
Mohamed Samak, 43, of Chestnut Spinney, Droitwich was found guilty of killing 49-year-old Joanne Samak at Worcester Crown Court today (Wednesday, October 29).
The court heard Samak stabbed his wife six times in the early hours of 1 July 2024, driving a knife through her breastbone into her heart.
He waited over an hour after neighbours heard screaming before calling 999, by which time she had been dead for some time.
Mrs Samak had prepared for the day ahead, setting an alarm on her phone for the next morning, and hung out a red dress to wear – suggesting she had no indication of the violence that would follow.
In a statement Joanne’s family 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”.
Jonathan Roe, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Mohamed Samak killed his wife and tried to claim she had taken her own life, repeatedly lying to police to avoid responsibility.
“This callous attempt to present his crime as a suicide has caused further anguish to Jo’s family.
“Thankfully, the jury saw through his lies and convicted him for this heinous crime against a defenceless woman who had her whole life to look forward to – and could never have imagined her own husband would cause her such serious harm. Jo’s family have shown great dignity and strength through this difficult process, and our thoughts are with them.”
Samak will be sentenced on Friday, October 31 at Worcester Crown Court.
The case
The Crown Prosecution Service used medical evidence, mobile phone data, forensic evidence and witness testimony to disprove Samak’s claims.
The prosecution case was that Mohamed Samak stabbed his wife to death due to financial and martial problems and lied to cover up what he had done.
When he first called 999, Samak suggested his wife had stabbed herself and told the call handler that he had found her bent over in her bed with a knife in her stomach.
He gave police the impression this had all happened minutes before he called 999, but the3 following day, his account changed dramatically during his police interview.
He now claimed he had woken at 3am to his wife screaming and watched her stab herself repeatedly and said he had been too terrified to call for help, admitting this had happened about an hour before he rang 999.
His story continued to change in subsequent police interviews.
The Crown Prosecution Service proved Mrs Samak had no reason to end her life and had been busy making plans for the future, including planning her 50th birthday party, and had booked a theatre trip with friends and a trip to Paris, and had set out her clothes for the next day.
The prosecution said it was inconceivable that she would fetch a knife downstairs and go upstairs to then stab herself multiple times.
Police found Mrs Samak’s blood on clothing Samak had hidden in the loft which indicated he was trying to conceal evidence to avoid facing the consequences of his actions.
The evidence also revealed that there had been issues within the marriage. Samak’s phone showed he had been meeting and speaking with another woman shortly before he killed his wife.
The couple met in 2011 when Mrs Samak visited Egypt and stayed at the hotel where Samak worked. They married in Egypt in March 2014. By the end of that year, Samak had moved to England permanently.
Mrs Samak was the main breadwinner whilst Samak worked as a hockey coach for short periods, and he had struggled to find permanent work which caused a further strain on the marriage.
When Mrs Samak was made redundant shortly before she was killed, she had received £7,150 redundancy pay. Mrs Samak had confided to friends she did not love her husband.
