Overview
- Worcester Crown Court imposed a life sentence with a minimum term of 21 years, reduced by 483 days for time already served.
- A unanimous jury convicted the former hockey coach after a retrial earlier this week.
- Evidence showed he stabbed 49-year-old Joanne Samak six times, including a forceful blow through the breastbone into the heart.
- He waited roughly an hour before calling 999 and, despite CPR training, failed to attempt life‑saving measures.
- Police later found bloodstained clothing hidden in the loft during the second trial, and prosecutors cited financial pressures and an interest in another woman as his motive while family statements described profound loss.