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.
An amber warning has been issued for snow in a part of the UK, likely to cause travel delays and “stranding some vehicles and passengers”.
The warning, which covers south west England, also warns some rural communities could become cut off and is in place until 2pm this evening.
Pic: Met Office
There is also a yellow weather warning for snow covering the southern counties of England until midnight on Wednesday.
The warning stretches from Kent to Cornwall and up to south London and the Met Office said between 2cm and 5cm of snow could accumulate fairly widely, with as much as 10cm over higher ground.
This week is expected to see the coldest nights of the year, with temperatures potentially reaching -14C on Wednesday night and -16C on Thursday night, both in the North East of England and Scotland, the Met Office said.
Weather warnings issued on Tuesday for snow and ice covering the parts of Wales, the North West of England, west and northern parts of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland will remain in place until midnight tomorrow.
The forecaster said some roads and railways are likely to be affected and there could be icy patches on untreated roads.
Pics: AP
Meanwhile the Environment Agency has said at least 300 properties have flooded across England since New Year’s Eve. It estimates more than 41,000 properties have been protected.
Heavy rainfall over the New Year caused significant river and surface water flooding across the North West of England and Yorkshire and snowmelt has brought further disruption to parts of England, particularly the Midlands, the agency said.
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Man says flooding ‘came out of nowhere’
Floods minister Emma Hardy said: “My sympathies go out to the people, businesses and communities impacted by the recent flooding across the country.
“I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe. People must continue to follow their advice and sign up for flood warnings.”
Flood warnings
Some 100 flood warnings were in force across England on Wednesday, with people urged to remain vigilant over the coming days.
A danger-to-life warning was issued on Tuesday morning for the River Soar near Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire, but was later removed.
People living in caravan parks in the area were urged by the Environment Agency to act, with a large-scale evacuation needed to save lives.
Firefighters have rescued dozens of people across Leicestershire since Monday, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said.
Hundreds of schools were closed across the UK, with road and rail links blocked, as Manchester, Bristol and Liverpool John Lennon airports suspended flights because of the conditions.
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