Widow of raid victim tells of ‘overwhelming grief and loss’
THE widow of a former Navy officer who looked on as her husband was killed by a burglar spoke of her “overwhelming grief ” as his killer was jailed for life, with a minimum of 27 years behind bars.
Ryan Gibbons, 29, reversed over Mike Samwell then drove over him a second time as the former serviceman tried to stop his £36,000 Audi S3 sports car being stolen last April.
Earlier, the victim’s widow, Jessica, read a moving victim impact statement at Manchester Crown Court, saying: “I feel overwhelming grief for the future we will never have, the birthdays and anniversaries, and the children we will never share is devastating.”
The couple had been woken in the night as burglars broke into their £450,000 house in Chorlton, south Manchester, snatching the keys to the car from the kitchen table.
Mr Samwell, a nuclear engineer after serving 12 years in the forces, rushed outside in his boxer shorts, shouting “Get out of the car!”, followed by his wife who saw him go under the wheels as Gibbons sped off.
She held his hand and told him she loved him as he lay dying from “catastrophic” chest and heart injuries.
Mr Justice William Davis told Gibbons: “You are a dangerous young man, you are a regular burglar and on this occasion, to get what you wanted, you quite ruthlessly killed a man.”