Prosecutors seek longer sentence for wife killer
Prosecutors are seeking a tougher sentence against former Gulf News editor Francis Matthew for killing his wife. He had been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Prosecution officials say the British journalist, 61, carried out the premeditated murder of his wife Jane on July 3 last year. Dubai Criminal Court in March found him guilty of the lesser charge of physical assault leading to death.
Premeditated murder would have probably led to a life sentence or even the death penalty.
Matthew continued yesterday to deny that charge at the Dubai Court of Appeals.
His lawyer, Ali Al Shamsi, said he needed more time to prepare his latest defence and the court rescheduled the hearing to July 1.
Matthew was convicted of hitting his wife’s head twice with a hammer at their home in Umm Suqeim last year.
Her family said the conviction and sentence for the lesser charge were deeply unfair. They believe it was premeditated murder.
Records show that at 5.45pm on July 4 last year, Matthew called Dubai Police, telling them his wife had been assaulted by thieves after he left for work that morning.
He said he left home about 8am and returned at 5pm to find his wife murdered. He denied any involvement but later admitted to hitting her on the head twice with a hammer after an argument.
Matthew said they argued after he told his wife that they were facing financial difficulties because of bank loans and that they would need to move to a smaller property. He said his wife provoked him calling him a loser.
Matthew said that he was woken by his wife at 7am on the day of the murder and followed him into the kitchen. He said that when he tried to avoid another argument she provoked him again and pushed him.
He said that in a state of anger, he picked up a hammer from one of the shelves in the kitchen and followed his wife to the bedroom where he hit her twice on her forehead while she lay in bed.
The court found that he panicked then decided to fake a robbery, ransacked his home before leaving for work.
Matthew was editor of Gulf News from 1995 to 2005 and was married to his wife for more than 30 years.