The once-idyllic family home on a leafy cul-de-sac in Malvern, Worcestershire, had always been a picture of suburban bliss: a modern four-bedroom detached house with a manicured lawn, a hockey stick propped against the garage, and the laughter of a five-year-old boy echoing from the garden. But in the pre-dawn darkness of October 1, 2025, that perfect facade exploded into a scene of unimaginable horror. Mohamed Samak, 43, the charming Egyptian-born international hockey star turned coach at elite Malvern College, transformed into a raging beast. In a frenzied attack that lasted mere minutes but scarred a child for life, he pinned his glamorous wife Joanne Ntokoto Mabasa, 49, to their marital bed and stabbed her 18 times – slicing through her heart, lungs, and stomach as their terrified son Alex watched from the doorway, screaming for Daddy to stop.

When paramedics burst through the door, they found Joanne collapsed in the hallway, a kitchen knife buried deep in her gut, blood pooling like crimson silk across the tiles. Samak, his tracksuit splattered with his wife’s life force, sobbed hysterically down the 999 line: “She’s got a knife in her tummy! I found her like this!” It was a performance worthy of an Oscar – if only the forensics hadn’t painted a far darker picture. Today, after a gut-wrenching three-week trial at Worcester Crown Court, a jury saw through the lies in just four hours. Samak was convicted of murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 22 years, the judge branding him a “cold-blooded killer” and a “danger to women forever.”

The public gallery erupted in raw fury as the verdict rang out. Joanne’s brother Bobby Mabasa, 52, roared from the seats: “Rot in hell, you beast!” Her mother Miriam, 74, collapsed in sobs, clutching a photo of her “shining light” daughter. Outside court, neighbours who had heard the blood-curdling screams that night spat venom: “Monster in a tracksuit! He coached our kids – now he’s coached his own son in nightmare!” This is the chilling story of love curdled into lethal hate, a golden couple shattered in seconds, and a little boy who will never unsee his mummy’s final moments.

Mohamed Samak had always cut a dashing figure in Malvern’s polite society. At 6ft 2 with a chiselled jaw and an easy smile that could charm parents at school gates, the Egyptian-born former international player had swapped the pitch for coaching girls’ hockey at prestigious Malvern College. He met Joanne, a stunning South African interior designer with a million-watt smile and a talent for transforming celebrity homes, on a blind date in 2015. “They were head over heels,” gushed friend Lisa Chandler, 45. “Egyptian prince meets African queen – holidays in Dubai, a posh house in Barnard’s Green, little Alex as their pride and joy.” The couple married in a lavish ceremony in Cape Town, Samak sweeping Joanne off her feet with promises of forever.

But cracks began to spiderweb through the marriage in 2024. Samak grew obsessed with Joanne’s phone, snarling at “matey texts” from male clients. “He was possessive – checking her WhatsApp, accusing her of affairs,” revealed a colleague who worked with Joanne on high-end projects. Neighbours noticed the arguments escalating: slammed doors, raised voices, Samak storming out in his tracksuit to “clear his head” at the hockey fields. Joanne confided in friends that she felt suffocated, but for Alex’s sake, she stayed. “She was planning to leave,” a source close to the family whispered. “She’d even looked at flats. But she never got the chance.”

The nightmare unfolded at 3:45 a.m. on October 1. Samak stalked upstairs after a blazing row over Joanne’s “flirty” messages to a work contact. Little Alex woke to Daddy’s roar: “Who is he?!” The bedroom door flew open, and what followed was a massacre. Samak grabbed a kitchen knife from downstairs, pinned Joanne to the bed, and stabbed her 18 times in a frenzy of jealousy and rage. Blood sprayed the walls, soaked the sheets, and gushed from wounds that punctured her heart and lungs. Alex stood frozen in the doorway, screaming: “Mummy! No! Daddy stop!”

Neighbours heard the carnage. Mrs Patsy Wilson, 62, recalled a “high-pitched shriek like a wounded animal – then gurgling sobs. I thought it was a film!” Joanne, in her final act of desperation, crawled downstairs, collapsing in the hallway with the knife still embedded in her gut. Samak wiped the blade, hid it, and staged the scene before dialling 999 at 4:09 a.m. His performance was chilling: “My wife… she’s got a knife in her tummy! I found her like this!” Operators heard him sobbing as paramedics raced to the scene.

When police arrived at 4:45 a.m., they found Joanne dead, Alex traumatised in the corner, and Samak collapsing dramatically: “She did it to herself!” But forensics nailed the lie. The knife grip mismatched – his handprint on the hilt, her defensive wounds on arms and hands. Blood spatter proved he was the stabber, not the saviour. CCTV from the street captured him carrying the knife upstairs minutes before the screams began.

At Worcester Crown Court, prosecutor Mr Adam Kingston KC painted a portrait of a coward: “This man bladed his wife like a pork chop – then spilled b******s to coppers!” The defence claimed “panic attack” – laughed out of court. Jury deliberation took four hours before the guilty verdict erupted like thunder. Samak crumbled, wailing: “I love her!” Mr Justice Martin Edis KC was merciless: “Revolting crime. No remorse. Danger to women forever.” Minimum 22 years.

Joanne’s family howled in the gallery. Brother Bobby: “Jo was bubbly, talented – designed celeb homes! He smothered her light for jealousy. Alex saw Mummy gushing blood – he’ll never recover!” Mum Miriam: “My angel begged for help – he silenced her forever!” Alex, now 5, is in care – trauma experts warn of lifelong scars.

Malvern College recoiled in shock: “Samak coached girls’ hockey – model citizen facade!” Parents fumed: “He high-fived my daughter – now blood on his hands!” Detective Superintendent Jane Lovett: “Perfect investigation. Justice for Jo.”

As Samak was shuffled to cells, howling, Worcester weeps. One question burns: How did this charmer become a blade-wielding beast? #JusticeForJo trends – Britain roars for zero tolerance on home killers!