Wife sees Navy officer husband killed by car thieves
Wife watches in horror as they mow him down
A FoRMeR Navy officer was mown down and 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 smart suburban 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 ChorltoncumHardy, Manchester, who had been woken by the noise, tried to save him but Mr Samwell, who suffered multiple injuries, was dead on arrival at hospital.
Police said the Audi was driven away erratically and at some point lost a front wheel when it hit the kerb. The killers continued on three wheels before
‘ She is in total shock ’
abandoning the car three miles away. last night police were hunting the thieves, who they said had killed an innocent man who was merely trying to protect his property.
Mr Samwell was a submarine weapons officer and engineer before working in Whitehall and then moving to a job in the civilian nuclear sector. His uncle Cliff blake told how yesterday’s tragedy had unfolded.
He said: ‘ Jess saw the whole thing happen. 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. it’s just horrific – 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.
‘Mike was a lovely lad, intelligent and wellliked,’ he said. ‘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 said his sister was ‘heartbroken’ and revealed she cannot speak about what happened, even to her close family.
Mr lowth, 48, said: ‘We are just in a state of shock. i have sent [Jessica] a text saying i was thinking of her and she just replied: “Thank you”.
‘i have spoken to our mum and she says that [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 chil dren, married in 2011 at a ceremony at Styal lodge, Cheshire.
Mr Samwell wore his service uniform and fellow officers formed a guard of honour for the couple with their swords.
They had lived in the house in Cranbourne Road 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 Warringtonbased engineers Atkins,
‘Just protecting his property’
which is building a nuclear power station in Cumbria.
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 being left and residents held a vigil, organised by Chorlton Central Church.
The minister, the Rev Mike Walsh, said: ‘We wanted to get together as a community to show our support.
‘it’s a completely senseless crime which has ended up in the death of an ordinary, decent person.’
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 said: ‘ Michael Samwell was awoken by noise, went downstairs and ended up at the back of his house where he was struck by his own vehicle – we don’t know how many times – sustaining multiple injuries. My thoughts go out to Michael’s wife and his family, i cannot comprehend what they must be going through.’
Mr Chadwick added: ‘This is something that could have happened to anyone. Mr Samwell simply got up and went downstairs to investigate a noise.’