Man convicted of murdering wife in Droitwich Spa

A husband has been convicted of murdering his wife after he stabbed her at their Worcestershire home.

Mohamed Samak, 43, of Chestnut Spinney, Droitwich Spa was found guilty at Worcester Crown Court today (Wednesday, 29 October 2025) of killing 49-year-old Joanne Samak following a trial. 

The court heard Samak stabbed Mrs Samak 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. 

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."

Building the case

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.

The Crown Prosecution Service used medical evidence, mobile phone data, forensic evidence and witness testimony to disprove Samak’s claims. 

When Samak first called 999, he suggested Mrs Samak 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. 

The next 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 Samak was lying. Mrs Samak had no reason to end her life and had been busy making plans for the future. She was planning her 50th birthday party, had booked a theatre trip with friends and a trip to Paris, and had set out her clothes for the next day.

The prosecution case was that it was inconceivable that she would fetch a knife downstairs and go upstairs to then stab herself multiple times. 

Mrs Samak was found with stab wounds ranging between 2.5cm and 10cm deep. Medical experts told the jury considerable force was needed to penetrate Mrs Samak's breastbone, making it highly unlikely she could have inflicted this injury on herself, particularly as the knife was still in a wound to her stomach. 

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.

Samak will be sentenced on Friday, 31 October at Worcester Crown Court.