Family dismayed at expat’s 10-year jail sentence for hammer murder of wife
THE family of a murdered British woman has criticised the sentence handed down to her husband, who was yesterday jailed for 10 years for killing her with a hammer.
“Justice has not yet been done,” said the family of Jane Matthew in a statement after her husband Francis Matthew, was found guilty of killing her.
Mrs Matthew, 62, was bludgeoned to death in the couple’s home in Dubai’s Jumeirah area on July 4 last year.
Matthew, 60, a former newspaper editor, was employed by the Englishlanguage Gulf News. He initially attempted to cover up his actions, leaving her body in their home overnight and going to work the next morning.
Matthew wrapped the hammer in a plastic bag and threw it away during his commute.
Upon returning home that evening he raised the alarm, telling police Mrs Matthew had been killed in a home invasion. However, Matthew changed his story when questioned by police, saying that he and his wife had fought over money. He said she was angry because they were in debt and needed to move.
Matthew said his temper had risen when she called him a “loser” and told him he “should provide financially”. According to police, Mrs Matthew shoved him and he then left the room to get a hammer, which he took into the bedroom and used to hit her twice in the head, killing her.
Police officers who were called as witnesses during the trial described Matthew’s strange demeanour when they responded to his call for help the day after the murder. “He was very calm and showed no signs of shock at all,” said one of the officers.
Neither Matthew nor his lawyer were present in the Dubai Court of First Instance for the verdict.
Mrs Matthew’s family said afterwards that they were “saddened” by the sentence, noting that Matthew may not serve the full term.
They argued that the evidence demonstrated planning and intent, and warranted a more significant penalty.
“We believe the facts clearly demonstrate that this crime was a deliberate act. In the defendant’s own version of events, he collected the murder weapon, a hammer, in the kitchen and carried it down two corridors of the house to the bedroom,” the family’s statement read. There was time for him to consider his actions – instead he delivered two hammer blows to the front of Jane’s head.”
Matthew is set to be deported after serving his sentence in the UAE. His lawyer said he would appeal the sentence.