Mohamed Samak, 43, an Egyptian national and former international hockey player, denied killing his wife, 49-year-old interior designer Joanne Samak, at their home in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, claiming she had taken her own life.
He told the court that he woke at around 3am on 1 July 2023 to find his wife stabbing herself.
However, prosecutors said Samak, who was head of boys’ hockey at Malvern College where annual fees reach £57,000 murdered his wife due to financial difficulties and an interest in another woman. They alleged that he had also monitored his position as a potential beneficiary of her life insurance and pension.
Medical experts testified that Mrs Samak sustained six stab wounds between 2.5cm and 10cm deep to her chest and abdomen, with one wound penetrating her breastbone. The level of force required, they said, made it highly unlikely she could have inflicted the injuries on herself.
Friends and relatives dismissed claims that Mrs Samak had alcohol or mental health problems, saying she had “things to look forward to” and appeared in good spirits.
After a retrial at Worcester Crown Court, a jury found Samak guilty of murder on Wednesday afternoon, according to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). He is due to be sentenced at the same court on Friday.
Jurors were told that midway through the retrial, police carried out a new search of the marital home, where they discovered blood belonging to Mrs Samak on a sock and a black hockey T-shirt owned by her husband. The items were found in a bag of Samak’s clothing hidden in the loft.
The court heard that Mrs Samak’s family had cleared the property earlier this year, moving the bag to the garage, where officers eventually located it on 10 October.
West Mercia Police has declined to explain what led officers to re-examine the house and said it has not referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct over the earlier failure to find the crucial evidence.
