Gulf News

Dubai editor gets increased jail term in wife murder case

Prosecutor­s convince Appeal Court to raise defendant’s sentence from 10 to 15 years

- BY BASSAM ZA’ZA’

Legal and Court Correspond­ent

Prosecutor­s won their appeal against a British editor, who will now spend 15 years in jail after an appeals court yesterday found him guilty of the premeditat­ed murder of his wife.

The Dubai Court of Appeal overturned the 10-year imprisonme­nt against Francis Matthew, 62, and increased his punishment to 15 years in jail, after he was found to have premeditat­edly murdered his 63-year-old countrywom­an wife in their villa in Umm Suqeim in July 2017.

In March, the Dubai Court of First Instance sentenced Matthew to 10 years in jail, after modifying his initial charge of premeditat­ed murder into beating that led to death. Matthew, a former Gulf News staff, was convicted of hitting his wife with a hammer on her forehead.

Yesterday, pronouncin­g the appellate decision, presiding Judge Eisa Mohammad Al Sharif overturned the primary court ruling, after the bench of appellate judges deemed the case as “premeditat­ed murder”.

According to the judgement sheet, the accused decided to kill his wife “instantly” following a heated argument between them over Matthew’s financial situation. He did not “pre-plan or

The accused decided to kill his wife “instantly” following a heated argument between them over financial situation.

prepare” in advance to murder her, the verdict found.

The verdict sheet read that it was a “fit of instant and sudden anger” that pushed Matthew to grab the hammer, follow his wife into the bedroom and strike her on the head after she had pushed him in the kitchen and called him names, thus provoking him.

The accused, who had pleaded not guilty, will be deported following the completion of his punishment.

Matthew’s lawyer Ali Al Shamsi is expected to appeal the appellate judgement before the Cassation Court within 30 days.

Dubai prosecutor­s are also expected to appeal yesterday’s judgement. The Court of Appeal remodified the accusation to the primary one [premeditat­ed murder]; however, the bench of three judges handed the defendant a reduced imprisonme­nt of 15 years instead of capital punishment or life sentence as per the Penal Code’s article 98.

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