Widow tells of loss and grief as husband’s killer gets life
THE widow of an ex-Royal Navy submarine officer – killed by thieves as they stole his car – wept yesterday as she told of her “overwhelming grief”.
Ryan Gibbons, 29, targeted the Audi S3 parked at the house of nuclear engineer Mike Samwell in Chorlton, Manchester, on April 23.
Mr Samwell, 35, woke up and raced outside his £500,000 home and Gibbons drove over him twice.
Yesterday – before a judge jailed Gibbons for life – widow Jessica, 34, told how the murder destroyed her dream life and their hope of children.
Speaking from the witness box at Manchester Crown Court, she said: “The loss of Mike was catastrophic.
“He was a loving, caring husband – my best friend and teammate, always dependable, always calm.
“I feel overwhelming grief for the future we will never have – the children we will never share.
“The loss of such a caring, loyal and warm man who supported me for 10 years is too much to bear.”
She said the “stark reminders” of the tragedy had left her unable to return to their family home.
She said: “The days get harder, the physical pain, loss and longing for Mike has not eased. There has been no life for me since Mike died.
“The last image I have of Mike – lying on the ground, groaning in pain, holding his hand – will stay with me for the rest of my life.
“The man who meant more to me than anything in the world had been mindlessly and brutally killed.”
During the three-week trial, Mrs Samwell told the jury of her horror as she saw the rear wheels of the Audi on top of her husband’s chest – before it sped away.
She broke down while telling the jury how she had held his hand as he died, telling him she loved him and pleading: “Stay with me Mike.”
Father-of-four Gibbons, also from Chorlton, who has never held a driving licence, had admitted burglary and aggravated vehicle-taking. was convicted of murder.
He confessed the plan was to sell the stolen Audi – worth £36,000 – for just £2,000. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and told he would serve a minimum of 27 years.
Driver Raymond Davies, 21 – who ferried two others not caught by police to the house – admitted burglary. He was convicted of manslaughter and taking a vehicle without consent and jailed for eight years.
Judge Mr Justice William Davis said no one could have failed to be moved by the widow’s “moving and poignant” statement.
Jailing Gibbons, he branded him “a dangerous young man who ruthlessly killed to get what he wanted”.
He said: “It was a burglary which went terribly wrong. Mr Samwell did what every householder is entitled to do and tried to protect his property.
“An equal victim is Jessica Samwell who watched her husband being murdered. He was killed in front of her and died as she was holding his hand in the driveway.” He