Bristol: Steven Craig sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Jacqueline Kirk

Steven Craig was sentenced to life in prison for a horrific assault on his then-girlfriend that left her with life-changing injuries.

Jacqueline Kirk was doused in petrol and set alight in a car park in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset in April 1998.

Ms Kirk was hospitalized for nine months after the attack and required 14 surgeries, including a tracheostomy and skin grafts.

Because she miraculously survived, Craig was originally convicted of aggravated assault with intent to assault the mother of two.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum sentence of nine years for these and two other offenses, which he subsequently served nearly 19 years in prison.

At a previous court hearing, it was heard how he was inspired by Quentin Tarantino’s film Reservoir Dogs.

Craig, now 58, was rearrested and charged with murder in June 2021 after wife Kirk died in August 2019 aged 61.

A jury at Bristol Crown Court unanimously convicted him last month, noting that the injuries he inflicted – including burns to 35% of Ms Kirk’s body – were linked to her death from a fractured diaphragm.

The court heard how the scarring on Ms Kirk’s chest and abdomen meant her ability to expand was reduced as she suffered from an enlarged bowel.

Doctors were unable to operate because of her delicate medical condition and she died the day after she was admitted to the hospital.

He was told today at Bristol Crown Court he must serve a minimum of 15 years before being considered for parole, a minimum sentence reduced to take account of his previous imprisonment for the same crime.

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