By Philip Dewey

Copyright walesonline

A woman alleged to have been murdered by her husband and former Wales under 18s hockey coach told friends he was “lazy” due to the lack of money he was bringing in. Friends and colleagues also dismissed claims she had issues with alcohol and said she “had so much to live for”. Mohamed Samak, 42, denies the murder of Joanne Samak, 49, who was found dead with stab wounds at their home in Droitwich Spa 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. 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. For the biggest stories in Wales first, sign up to our daily newsletter here But after his arrest, the defendant claimed he woke at 3am to see Joanne stabbing herself while screaming “let me do it”. He later told the police Joanne stabbed herself in the stomach and chest after struggling with her mental health and alcohol, drinking two bottles of wine four times a week. On Wednesday, a statement was read out on behalf of Joanne’s sister-in-law Tracey Vale, who said the family saw “less and less” of the defendant. She said: “He rarely came on outings, was not present at most family gatherings and didn’t show up for Sunday lunch even though we expected him… Jo enjoyed a glass of wine and would have one or two with Sunday lunch, but I’m not aware she had any issues with drink or her mental health.” Shortly before her death, Joanne and a number of colleagues were made redundant following the closure of Claude Hooper Interiors, but a group of them had come together to form a new company called Chapter Nine, which Joanne was excited about. Friend and colleague Beverly Dancer made reference to Joanne and Samak experiencing financial difficulties due to his role as a hockey coach. She said: “I never met her partner in person. He coached hockey and cricket at schools part time. This caused financial strain on Jo and caused a lot of problems in the marriage. She would call Sam (the defendant) lazy and it was clear he just did not want to work. I believe she almost spoiled Sam and he enjoyed having a kept life not having to work.” Friend and colleague Polly Clare told the court Joanne was a “lovely person, kind, and generous” and would “help anyone if they ever need anything”. She added: “I’ve never known her in a bad mood or cross, she was always calm tempered and you always knew where you stood with her.” Ms Clare said: “She had so much to live for and was so excited about what we were going to be doing as a team of people.” Joanne was described as being “best friends” with colleague Carrie Evans and the two had planned a trip to Paris for Joanne’s 50th birthday. Friend and colleague Pippa Cokaj described Joanne as a “creative person” with “great style skills”. She described Samak as a “deep thinker” and said she never saw him “uncontrolled or angry”. Ms Cokaj said: “I think she had fallen out of love with Sam, she didn’t care about making an effort with their relationship and she didn’t feel like he financially contributed as much as he should have done. She felt frustrated she had to make all the decisions and sort out his appointments, things she thought he could do for himself.” The witness said Joanne and Samak did not have a physical relationship and she was “not interested in intimacy”. Ms Cokaj said Joanne was meant to pick her up for work on the morning of July 1, 2024, but she had not answered any messages. Mark Moss, head of hockey at the University of Birmingham, told the court he became friends with Samak after they began playing hockey together. He helped Samak to get a number of hockey coaching jobs, including at Malvern College, and described the defendant as being good at developing players but less competent on an organisational level. Mr Moss said hockey was “fairly poorly paid” and hockey coaches would usually have to take on a number of jobs. He served as a predecessor of Samak as coach of Wales under 18s, and said he would have to pay out more money than he received to coach them. He added: “Although the Welsh job was prestigious, it would not have been remunerated. You have these jobs, when you go for university jobs, having these things on your CV allows you to get those jobs.” The trial continues.