Jacqueline Kirk murderer given another 15 years

Steven Craig must serve at least 15 years in jail for the murder of Jacqueline Kirk who was known by family and friends as Jackie

A man has been given a life sentence for murdering his ex-partner, who died 21 years after he set her alight.

Jacqueline Kirk was badly disfigured after Steven Craig re-enacted a torture scene from the film Reservoir Dogs in Weston-super-Mare in 1998.

Craig was found guilty of grievous bodily harm with intent in 2000 and has served almost 19 years in jail.

Ms Kirk died in 2019 from complications relating to the injuries she suffered, and Craig was then charged with murder.

In a landmark case, he must now spend a further 15 years in prison on top of the 18 years and 11 months he has already served.

Craig, of Brailsford Crescent, York, had admitted the attack on Ms Kirk but denied being responsible for her murder.

Sentencing the 58-year-old at Bristol Crown Court earlier, Mrs Justice Stacey said Craig "repeatedly" replayed the torture scene from the film - where a police officer is covered in petrol - "with a permanent grin" .

There was no doubt you planned a "gratuitous" and "deliberate" attack on the mother-of-two, she added.

"She was always in pain and suffered from depression and nightmares, and was suicidal at times."

Ms Kirk was left severely disfigured from the attack by Steven Craig in 1998

The judge said there was a history of violence by Craig towards Ms Kirk.

He was drunk at the time of the attack and had behaved "cowardly" afterwards - ordering her to stay away from him while she was on fire, and did not help her to extinguish the flames.

The judge highlighted the "level of sadism and extreme nature of the attack", describing it as "just so callous and so brutal".

Ms Kirk suffered "physical and mental suffering and terrible scarring" for the 21 years she lived after the attack, being reminded of it every time she looked in the mirror, the judge said.

Ahead of sentencing, prosecutor Richard Smith KC read out a statement from Ms Kirk which she gave to police in October 1999.

She said that "nothing or no amount of counselling could prepare me or did prepare me" for the attack.

"I am now a very timid, shy and even embarrassed person," she added.

"Why me? What I have I ever done to deserve this sentence on my life?"

"Life today is a constant struggle."

Her son Shane said his mother was a "strong-minded person" when he was growing up but she began to change after she started a relationship with Craig in 1995, he said.

Great dignity

She met him by chance and gave Craig shelter because he was homeless, but his influence led her to drug and drink problems that she had previously conquered.

The court heard Ms Kirk was so disfigured that her daughter Sonna only recognised her by her feet when she first saw her in hospital.

In a statement Sonna said she "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 came 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.

"It 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."

Senior investigating officer Mark Almond said Ms Kirk "overcame numerous challenges with an incredible determination and fought with great dignity to rediscover the life she had before she was attacked".

The Avon and Somerset Police Det Ch Insp added that Craig was "undoubtedly responsible for Jackie's death and like all murderers, deserves to be severely punished".

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