Terrified wife sees ex-Navy officer killed as he tries to stop thieves stealing Audi
A FORMER Navy officer was killed yesterday as he tried to stop thieves stealing his luxury car.
Michael Samwell’s wife looked on in horror as he was run over in the street.
Mr Samwell, 35, had rushed downstairs, followed by his wife Jessica, just after 3am after being woken by a loud bang.
The chartered engineer discovered thieves had broken into the house and stolen the keys to his £35,000 Audi S3.
As he tried to stop them, they ran him over – possibly several times – and drove off, leaving the former Royal Navy lieutenant dying in the street.
Accountant Mrs Samwell, 33, and neighbours in Chorltoncum-Hardy, Manchester, who had been woken by the noise, tried to save him but he suffered multiple injuries and was dead on arrival at hospital.
Police hunting the thieves said the Audi was driven away erratically and at some point lost a front wheel when it hit a kerb. The killers continued on three wheels before abandoning the car three miles away.
Mr Samwell was a submarine weapons officer and engineer and worked in Whitehall before moving to a job in the civilian nuclear sector. His uncle, Cliff Blake, said: ‘They heard something, as someone had broken in and Mike went downstairs to see what was going on.
‘Jess followed and Mike had gone outside… the person just drove at him and killed him. Jess was there and witnessed it. She will have those images with her for the rest of her life.’
Mr Blake, who runs a conservatory business, fought back tears as he paid tribute to his nephew, saying: ‘Mike was a lovely lad, intelligent and well-liked.
‘He was fit and sporty, a keen skier and cyclist. But there was no aggression in him at all. If only he hadn’t woken up.’
Mrs Samwell’s brother, Simon Lowth, 48, said: ‘We are just in a state of shock.
‘I have spoken to our mum and she says [Jessica] doesn’t want to speak to anyone.
‘She is in total shock. She is completely heartbroken and we are all devastated for her.’
The Samwells, who had no children, married in 2011 at a ceremony at Styal Lodge, Cheshire. Mr Samwell wore his service uniform and officers formed a guard of honour for the couple with their swords.
They had lived in the house for less than two years. Before that they lived in London and in Wythenshawe, Manchester.
Mr Samwell studied at Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, and was a Leeds University engineering graduate. He was commissioned in the Navy in 2003 and in 2006 worked as a weapons engineering officer onboard Devonportbased HMS Tireless, a nuclearpowered attack submarine.
He left the armed forces in 2014 and was working as a programme manager for engineers Atkins, which is building a nuclear power station.
The firm said: ‘This is a tragic event and our thoughts go out to Mike’s family, friends and colleagues. We will support the family in any way we can.’
The street outside the Samwells’ home remained cordoned off last night as forensics experts continued their work.
Floral tributes were left and residents held a vigil, organised by Chorlton Central Church.
Rev Mike Walsh said: ‘It’s a completely senseless crime.’
Detective Superintendent Jonathan Chadwick, of Greater Manchester Police, said the crime was ‘the murder of an innocent man who has merely sought to protect his property from criminals’.
He added: ‘My thoughts go out to Michael’s wife and his family, I cannot comprehend what they must be going through.’
‘Completely heartbroken’