Stephen Craig jailed: Children of petrol attack victim Jacqueline Kirk ‘grateful’ for extra 21 years they had together
The children of a woman who died 21 years after being doused in petrol and set ablaze by her partner have said they are “thankful” for every extra day they spent together.
Stephen Craig, 58, spent more than 18 years in prison for the “sadistic” petrol attack on Jacqueline Kirk in a car park in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, in April 1998.
Following her death in August 2019 he was charged with murder and found guilty by a jury last month.
On Thursday, Craig was handed a further 15 years behind bars – meaning he will now serve a minimum of 34 years in prison.
Ms Kirk was subjected to a “callous and brutal” ordeal which left her with burns to 35% of her body.
Against the odds, she survived more than two decades and was able to witness both her children get married and become a grandmother.
But she died a day after being admitted to hospital with a ruptured abdomen in 2019, with doctors refusing to operate due to her frail condition.
Ms Kirk’s son, Shane, and daughter, Sonna, paid tribute to her bravery in moving statements read during Craig’s sentencing hearing at Bristol Crown Court.
“Every day was a struggle – but she hardly ever complained”
Ms Kirk with her dog, Molly, who was a “huge comfort”. Pic: Somerset and Avon Police
Recalling the moment he saw his mother for the first time after the attack, Shane, then 22, said: “I immediately began to cry but remember thinking very vividly that this can’t be real and that the person in the bed wasn’t my mum.
“I remember saying goodbye, it felt like I had already lost her.”
But he added: “Even though she was unrecognisable and she could not speak, slowly, week by week, her personality and character shined through, and she slowly became our mum again.”
“Every day was a struggle” for Ms Kirk, who battled constant pain, he said – but “she hardly ever complained about all the things she found hard in life.”
Steven Craig, who set fire to his girlfriend Jacqueline Kirk in 1998. Craig has been found guilty of Jacqueline’s murder following her death 21 years later
“In the first few years, every time she was admitted to hospital it felt like that could be it,” he said.
“Eventually this became normal and she would always pull through, she was such a fighter.
“Mum was just 40 when she was burnt, but she managed to find her voice again after being told she would never talk.
“She beat all the odds and went on to have over 20 more years that I will always be grateful for.
“I will always feel that mum should and could have had and done so much more in her life, but Stephen Craig has taken her from our lives too soon.”
“Grateful and thankful for every extra day I spent with mum”
Jacqueline Kirk, pictured with daughter Sonna before the attack. Pic: Somerset and Avon Police
Mother-of-two Sonna was just 13 when her mother was attacked, with both her and brother Shane forced to grow up very fast.
For almost a year, the siblings caught three buses to visit Ms Kirk in hospital.
They were both at her bedside, holding her hand when she died in hospital.
Sonna said in her statement: “I spent 21 years of feeling grateful and thankful for every extra day that I got to spend with my mum.
“From the very beginning when I was told that she would likely die she managed to surprise everyone and come through so much.
“She was able to see me grow up into an adult where I got married and then went on to have children and so she became nanny Jackie.
Jacqueline Kirk and her daughter Sonna on her wedding day
“It’s has been three years since my mum died and during that time part of my life has been on hold because I haven’t had complete closure.
“I have also had to deal with the emotional trauma of going through a second trial, only this time my mum is no longer with me.”
Craig, who must serve a minimum of 15 years before being considered for release by the parole board, had a string of previous convictions including rape and grevious bodily harm of another partner.
He admitted responsibility for the attack on Ms Kirk – but not her death.
He will remain on licence for the rest of his life if he is freed from prison.
A Romanian grooming gang has been convicted of sexually exploiting 10 vulnerable women in Dundee.
Four men and one woman were found guilty of dozens of offences – including rape – following an extensive investigation into sexual exploitation, human trafficking, and the supply of drugs in the Tayside area.
Marian Cumpanasoiu, 37, Remus Stan, 34, Catalin Dobre, 44, Cristian Urlateanu, 41, and Alexandra Bugonea, 34, denied any wrongdoing but on Thursday were convicted following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow.
Detective Inspector Scott Carswell branded the offenders “deplorable” in an interview with Sky News’ Scotland correspondent, Connor Gillies.
The detective said the gang plied the women with alcohol and free Class A drugs at parties before coercing them into sexual activity, “which a lot of them didn’t want to do”.
He said: “But as things progressed, they were so addicted to the drugs that they knew the only way they could get the drugs was to perform the sexual acts that they were having to get involved in.”
Detective Inspector Scott Carswell
DI Carswell said the gang got the women addicted to drugs in a bid to control them and keep them coming back for more.
He added: “They’ve had no thought as to the impact this is having on the victims. It’s been quite controlled in that they knew what they were doing.”
The gang will be sentenced at a later date.
Police Scotland said the offenders were arrested and charged as part of Operation Recloir, which was launched in late 2021 to target a gang of suspected human traffickers in the Tayside area.
DI Carswell said the inquiry initially focused on brothel-keeping in Dundee and the suspected trafficking of Romanian females into the country.
He added: “However, into the summer of 2022 we started to receive information that the crime group were targeting vulnerable Dundee females, and it looked like they were grooming them and coercing them with gifts of free drugs and other things until it moved on to the victims having to get involved in sexual activity to get the free drugs.
“And unfortunately, this got them addicted to the class A drugs that had been provided.”
DI Carswell said many of the victims identified believed they were the girlfriends of the men involved and did not realise they were being “groomed and used”.
The detective said the women were looking to be “cared for”, noting: “However, I believe that the end goal here was to groom the females and possibly move them into prostitution.”
Read more from Sky News:
Timeline of the grooming gangs scandal
Grooming gangs are ‘in every single part of our country’
DI Carswell said it was important to build up the victims’ “trust and confidence” in order to get them to engage with the force.
He said: “That did take a lot of patience, and it was something that I was passionate about with my inquiry team from the start.”
DI Carswell added work remains ongoing to ensure the women’s welfare and long-term safeguarding.
The detective believes his team identified all the victims, but not everyone wished to engage with the inquiry.
DI Carswell added: “What I would say to them is even at this time if they don’t want to engage with the police, the support’s always there if they need help with anything on the back of this.”
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