Man who covered his partner in petrol then gave her a cigarette jailed 24 years later

A man who subjected his partner to ‘unimaginable’ physical injuries after he doused her with petrol and set her on fire – leading to her subsequent death 21 years later – has been jailed.Steven Craig, 58, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 15 years for inflicting horrendous injuries on Jacqueline Kirk in a car park in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, in April 1998. Reading Jacqueline’s previous witness statement of her relationship with her killer, the judge said Craig would watch the film Reservoir Dogs with a ‘constant grin’ and enjoyed seeing the torture. The judge described the attack in April 1998 where Craig took Jacqueline on a road trip as a ‘ruse’ to kill her. The court heard how Craig stopped at a petrol station and filled a bottle of coke with petrol before stopping in a car park where he told Jacqueline to bend her head over down over her knees and then poured the coke bottle over her head and neck. ‘Jackie had petrol on her head and eyes and hands,’ the judge said. ‘You offered her a cigarette torturing her that he may be her last before you lit the lighter and saw her face go up in flames.’ Jacqueline screamed for her help but Craig told her to stay away from him, the court heard, and did not call for help and her arms, head and face burnt. The judge added: ‘There is no doubt you planned to partake in a monstrous and gratuitous attack on Jackie. © Provided by The Independent Jacqueline Kirk and her daughter Sonna (Avon and Somerset Police/PA) ‘Your conduct was sadistic from the build-up of the attack to when you doused her head and neck in petrol. The level of sadism, it was so callous and so brutal.’When first responders arrived her teeth and hair were blackened by the flames and her skin was burnt showing the pink of her flesh. The pictures were too devastating to show the jury, the judge said. He had been previously convicted of grievous bodily harm with intent over the attack. However, he was arrested and charged with Ms Kirk’s murder after her death in August 2019. Bristol Crown Court was told that the injuries Ms Kirk sustained in the petrol attack were linked to her death from a ruptured diaphragm. Jacqueline’s daughter, Sonna described how people would stare at her mother and cross the road to avoid her after the assault because of the severity of her burns. She said the family was originally told she would not survive the attack. © Provided by The Independent Steven Craig, 58, inflicted horrendous injuries on Ms Kirk in a car park in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, in April 1998 (Avon and Somerset Police/PA) She praised the first responders and all those involved in providing her mother medical care over the years, saying: ‘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.’Ms Kirk’s strong character helped her to recover, her daughter 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, it kept her going and it got her stronger and it got her to be Jackie,’ she added.Her love of her dog, nature and photography along with the support of her family and friends led to her regaining her confidence ‘build up her life and be herself again’.Jurors were told that scarring to Ms Kirk’s chest and abdomen meant that they were not able to sufficiently expand when she suffered intestinal swelling. © Provided by The Independent Bodycam footage showed Craig’s arrest (PA) Doctors decided not to operate due to Ms Kirk’s frailty, the court heard. Craig served over 15 years in prison but was arrested and charged with murder in June 2021 after Ms Kirk’s death aged 61 in August 2019.A jury at Bristol Crown Court unanimously convicted Craig of the charge last month, finding the injuries caused by him – including burns to 35 per cent of Ms Kirk’s body – were linked to her dying from a ruptured diaphragm.Ms Kirk was in hospital for nine months after the attack and required 14 operations, including a tracheotomy and skin grafts.She survived for 21 years and was able to see both of her children get married, and become a grandmother.In August 2019, she was taken to the Royal United Hospital in Bath and died the next day. © Provided by The Independent Ms Kirk before the devastating attack (Avon and Somerset Police/PA) During Craig’s trial, jurors were told scarring to Ms Kirk’s chest and abdomen meant their ability to expand was reduced when she suffered intestinal swelling.Given her frailty, doctors decided not to operate on Ms Kirk when she fell ill.Richard Smith KC, prosecuting, told jurors the law did not demand that they find Ms Kirk’s injuries to be the sole or a main cause of her death, but that the contribution made by them was ‘more than minimal.’Following the trial, detective chief inspector Mark Almond said: ‘Jacqueline Kirk sustained unimaginable physical and mental injuries at the hands of Steven Craig. © Provided by The Independent Craig was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 15 years (PA) ‘What he did to her was horrendous and had a profound effect on her and her family.’Yet she surpassed doctors’ expectations and lived for a further 21 years, during which time she saw her children get married and several grandchildren born.’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.’The jury agreed with the expert medical evidence which concluded she would not have died the way she did had it not been for what Craig did to her.’From news to politics, travel to sport, culture to climate – The Independent has a host of free newsletters to suit your interests. 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