Husband tells court he saw wife stab herself with knife

A FORMER Wales under-18s coach accused of murdering his wife has given an emotional testimony on his account of events that took place on the night she died, telling a court “I tried to stop her,’ whilst admitting he hid his jumper stained in her blood in the loft.

- ROBERT DALLING

Mohamed Samak, 42, denies the murder of Joanne Samak, 49, who was found dead with stab wounds at their home in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, on July 1, 2024.

The defendant initially claimed he was sleeping during his wife’s death, and woke at 4am to find her unconscious and slumped over her bed.

The defendant, a former professional hockey player, sought work as a hockey coach and worked for a number of private schools and clubs, before taking up a position as coach of the Wales under-18s hockey teams.

A trial at Worcester Crown Court was previously played footage of Samak sitting on his bed and tearfully telling police he turned her over and saw a knife in her stomach.

It was heard previously how he had kissed another woman during their relationship, and told a court his wife “stormed off” in tears after he confessed to the infidelity.

The latest stage of his trial held yesterday heard how on the evening of June 30, 2024, Samak arrived home then went straight to bed, spent some time on his phone and then went to sleep at around 9.30pm.

He explained he later heard “a loud shout’ a female voice, from the direction of the bathroom.