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 woman has been filmed cutting yellow ribbons tied to a gate in London, put up in commemoration of Israeli hostages.
When confronted by two bystanders near the gate in Muswell Hill, north London, the woman said: “I’m not committing a crime.
“If I am, then call the police and you let them know that you have an issue with this.”
In the video, a man branded the woman “a disgusting little human being,” to which she replied: “I think condoning genocide is disgusting.”
The bystander asked her: “So we’re condoning genocide?”
The woman then appeared to point at the ribbons and said: “That’s what this is.”
October 7 anniversary latest: Families demand answers
Pic: X/@mirandalevycopy
The yellow ribbon has been used as a symbol of the plight of those taken captive since the 1979 US-Iranian hostage crisis, and has become synonymous with the hostages held in Gaza since 7 October 2023.
The ribbons are used as part of the ‘Bring Them Home’ campaign, which was introduced to raise awareness of the hostages’ plight and help amplify calls for the unconditional release of those still held by Hamas.
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Two years on from October 7 attacks
The Metropolitan Police told Sky News: “Officers have stepped up reassurance patrols in the Muswell Hill area, following reports that yellow ribbons were removed from fence poles.”
A spokesperson said the force was made aware of a video circulating online which “appears to show a woman removing the ribbons in Muswell Hill” at 4.25pm on Monday.
“Officers attended the location and are reviewing the footage to determine whether any offences, including hate crime or criminal damage, have been committed. Enquiries remain ongoing,” the spokesperson added.
Officers are asking anyone with information to contact the force.
Read more from Sky News:
Two lives torn apart by October 7
Israel deports Gaza aid flotilla activists
The incident happened just a day before the second anniversary of the October 7 attack, when Hamas killed 1,200 people and took 251 back to Gaza as hostages.
Israel says 48 hostages remain in Gaza, 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
Gaza’s health ministry says Israel’s offensive has killed more than 67,000 people in the region since 7 October 2023. It does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures, but says more than half of those killed are women and children.
Ineos, the chemicals group founded by Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has hit out at the government after cutting a fifth of the workforce at a factory in Hull.
The company said 60 skilled jobs were going at the Acetyls factory “as a direct result of sky-high energy costs and anti-competitive trade practices, as importers ‘dump’ product into the UK and European markets”.
It called on the UK government and European Commission to impose trade tariffs on China, complaining that a lack of action to date had resulted in “dirt cheap” carbon-heavy imports flooding the market, making its products uncompetitive.
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Ineos said the US had protected its manufacturing base through effective tariffs and warned that further jobs would be lost across Europe unless the authorities followed suit.
The company, founded by Sir Jim in 1998, is Europe’s largest producer of essential chemicals for a range of products including aspirin and paracetamol, adhesives and industrial coatings.
It recently invested £30m to switch its Hull plant energy source from natural gas to hydrogen. Ineos claimed Chinese competitors were emitting up to eight times more carbon dioxide than its UK operations.
The Saltend plant in Hull. Pic: Ineos
“This is a textbook case of the UK and Europe sleepwalking into deindustrialisation,” the firm’s statement said.
“Ineos has invested heavily at Hull to cut CO₂, yet we’re being undercut by China and the US while left wide open by a complete absence of tariff protection.
“If governments don’t act now on energy, carbon and trade, we will keep losing factories, skills and jobs. And once these plants shut, they never come back.”
A Government spokesperson responded: “We know this is a tough time for our chemicals industry, who are paying the fossil fuel penalty, with wholesale gas costs remaining 75% above their levels before Russia invaded Ukraine.
“Our modern Industrial Strategy is slashing electricity costs by up to 25% for sectors including chemicals, and the UK’s independent Trade Remedies Authority has the power to investigate the impact of cheap imports if requested by industry.
“We recognise this will be difficult for affected workers and their families, and we continue to engage with Ineos and the wider sector to explore potential solutions that will ensure a viable chemicals industry in the UK.”
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