Steven Craig guilty of murdering Jacqueline Kirk who died 21 years after he set her on fire
A man has been found guilty of murdering his girlfriend, who died more than 20 years after he poured petrol on her and set her on fire, leaving her with horrific burns.
Steven Paul Craig, 57, served 15 years in prison for attacking Jacqueline Kirk, who was badly injured but survived the attack in Somerset in 1998.
Following Friday’s trial, he has now been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on 9 November.
Ms Kirk died in August 2019 aged 62 after suffering a ruptured diaphragm.
Craig was charged with her murder as the prosecution argued she died “as a result in part of” her injuries.
Jurors had to decide whether the burns Ms Kirk suffered played a “significant part in the cause of her death”.
Ms Kirk suffered serious burns from the attack in Dolphin Square in Weston-super-Mare 24 years ago. Craig tied her to a chair and set her on fire while enacting a Reservoir Dogs fantasy.
Her injuries covered 35% of her body, including her face, neck, chest, torso, thighs and buttocks.
‘What he did to her was horrendous’
Mark Almond, Detective Chief Inspector at the Major Crime Investigation Team, Avon and Somerset Police, described the case as “unusual”, due to the amount of time that passed between Ms Kirk’s injuries and her death.
But he added: “What he did to her was horrendous and had a profound effect on her and her family.
“While she managed to see many significant milestones, her life was still cut short by the injuries caused by Craig, and it was only right that he was held fully accountable.”
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Original sentence did not reflect Craig’s ‘appalling actions’
Speaking after the verdict, Andrew Pritchard of the Crown Prosecution Service said Craig had now been held responsible for the “full consequences” of his actions.
“When Stephen Craig was jailed in 2000 for causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Jacqueline Kirk, no one knew that his actions would eventually lead to Jacqueline’s death,” Mr Pritchard said.
“As a result, the original sentence he served did not reflect the full consequences of his appalling actions.”
After the verdict was delivered, Ms Kirk’s family shouted “yes” and started to cry.
Ms Kirk’s daughter, Sonna, explained how the family were originally advised she would not survive the attack, as she praised the first responders and all those involved in providing her mother medical care.
“If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have had the extra 21 years, and we’re very, very grateful for all the hard work they did,” she said.
“Most people would describe her as stubborn, and that’s mostly seen as a negative thing, but for her, it was a very positive thing,” she added.
“It kept her going, and it got her stronger, and it got her to be Jackie,” she said.
Jacqueline Kirk and her daughter Sonna on her wedding day
What did prosecutors argue?
During the trial, prosecutor Richard Smith KC told the court Ms Kirk’s severe burns played a “significant” part in her death years later.
He argued Ms Kirk died because her skin was no longer able to stretch far enough to accommodate the swelling of her intestines.
The prosecution also claimed her injuries were the reason doctors decided not to operate to repair the diaphragm and therefore save her life.
Mr Smith added that these were not the only reasons for the complex medical situation in which she died, but they “played a part.”
Steven Paul Craig
What did the defence claim?
The defence argued this could not be proven.
Defence lawyer, Christopher Tehrani KC, argued Ms Kirk’s abdomen was only partly scarred and was “capable of stretching”.
He added that surgeons based their decision not to operate on her in part due to unrelated “co-morbidities”, including a heart problem.
Craig, of Brailsford Road, York, denied the murder charge and was convicted of causing grievous bodily harm to Ms Kirk in 2000 – meaning the murder trial was limited to medical evidence.
Sir Keir Starmer has joined other European leaders in Kyiv to press Russia to agree an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
The prime minister is attending the summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, recently-elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
It is the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled to Ukraine at the same time – arriving in the capital by train – with their meeting hosted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Sir Keir Starmer, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz travelling in the saloon car of a special train to Kyiv. Pic: Reuters
Leaders arrive in Kyiv by train. Pic: PA
It comes after Donald Trump called for “ideally” a 30-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, and warned that if any pause in the fighting is not respected “the US and its partners will impose further sanctions”.
Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News presenter Samantha Washington the European leaders are “rowing in behind” the US president, who referred to his “European allies” for the first time in this context in a post on his Truth Social platform.
“So this meeting is all about heaping pressure on the Russians to go along with the American proposal,” he said.
“It’s the closest the Europeans and the US have been for about three months on this issue.”
Sir Keir Starmer, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Emmanuel Macron among world leaders in Kyiv. Pic: AP
Trump calls for ceasefire. Pic: Truth Social
Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies are ready for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” for at least 30 days starting on Monday.
Ahead of the meeting on Saturday, Sir Keir, Mr Macron, Mr Tusk and Mr Merz released a joint statement.
European leaders show solidarity – but await Trump’s backing
The hope is Russia’s unilateral ceasefire, such as it’s worth, can be extended for a month to give peace a chance.
But ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian sources told Sky News they are still waiting for President Donald Trump to put his full weight behind the idea.
The US leader has said a 30-day ceasefire would be ideal, but has shown no willingness yet for putting pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin to agree.
The Russians say a ceasefire can only come after a peace deal can be reached.
European allies are still putting their hopes in a negotiated end to the war despite Moscow’s intransigence and President Trump’s apparent one-sided approach favouring Russia.
Ukrainians would prefer to be given enough economic and military support to secure victory.
But in over three years, despite its massive economic superiority to Russia and its access to more advanced military technology, Europe has not found the political will to give Kyiv the means to win.
Until they do, Vladimir Putin may decide it is still worth pursuing this war despite its massive cost in men and materiel on both sides.
“We reiterate our backing for President Trump’s calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace,” they said.
“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.”
Sir Keir and Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting in March. Pic: AP
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The leaders said they were “ready to support peace talks as soon as possible”.
But they warned that they would continue to “ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine” until Moscow agrees to a lasting ceasefire.
“We are clear the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come,” their statement added.
“We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine.”
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The European leaders are set to visit the Maidan, a central square in Ukraine’s capital where flags represent those who died in the war.
They are also expected to host a virtual meeting for other leaders in the “coalition of the willing” to update them on progress towards a peacekeeping force.
Military officers from around 30 countries have been involved in drawing up plans for a coalition, which would provide a peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire being agreed between Russia and Ukraine.
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This force “would help regenerate Ukraine’s armed forces after any peace deal and strengthen confidence in any future peace”, according to Number 10.
A special constable has been jailed after taking pictures on his phone from bodycam footage showing a dying man.
Former police volunteer William Heggs, 23, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court on Friday after showing the photos of victim William Harty, 28, to a female colleague and storing them on his Snapchat account.
Mr Harty was found seriously injured in a residential street in Leicester on 25 October 2021 and Heggs had attended the scene, helping with CPR before paramedics arrived.
Mr Harty died in hospital a day later and the man responsible for his injuries, his brother-in-law Martin Casey, was subsequently convicted of his manslaughter.
Heggs showed the pictures he had taken of bodycam footage of Mr Harty’s body to a Leicestershire Police constable, who reported Heggs and said she did not like seeing blood.
His phone was seized and officers discovered other photographs and video clips of bodyworn footage of incidents Heggs had attended on duty, including of a knife seizure, use of baton and pepper spray, and a man with an injured hand receiving first aid.
He also took pictures of a police computer screen, showing details of crimes and suspects, without consent.
Heggs stored the materials in a Snapchat folder and disclosed graphic details – most of which were not in the public domain – about the injuries to a woman who was killed in a road traffic collision he had attended, to a friend on the social media platform.
Heggs was suspended from the force in November 2021 and resigned in October 2024 before pleading guilty to 11 computer misuse and data protection offences this March.
William Harty’s widow Mandy Casey. Pic: PA
‘He has traumatised me’
Mr Harty’s widow, Mandy Casey, said in a victim impact statement read to the court that Heggs “took (her) husband’s dignity when he was most vulnerable”.
“You don’t take someone’s dignity and pride from them on their deathbed.”
She continued: “When I found out special constable Heggs had done this, I just wanted to ask why. He has traumatised me. I feel I will never know if he showed them to others.”
Ms Casey said she was still scared that photos of her husband’s body might appear on social media.
She added that she had lost trust in the police.
Public trust in police ‘significantly undermined’
Judge Timothy Spencer told Heggs, who has autism and ADHD, that he was “probably too immature to be working as a police officer” as he handed down the sentence.
He said Heggs had received “extensive training”, including on the importance of data protection, and knew he should only share materials for “a genuine policing purpose”.
Heggs’s actions had “significantly undermined” public trust and confidence in police, according to the judge.
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Malcolm McHaffie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: “William Heggs abused the public’s trust in the office he held as a special police constable.
“He violated the dignity of the deceased victims for no apparent reason other than what could be considered personal fascination and to gain credibility among his peers.”
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