A former newspaper editor who killed his wife in the heat of an argument appeared in court on Sunday to appeal against his 10-year sentence.
Francis Matthew, 61, a former editor of Gulf News, was convicted of physical assault leading to death and sentenced to jail after previously facing the death penalty for a murder charge.
On Sunday, Matthew's son — who previously gave a good character testimony to the court — cried upon seeing his father walk into Dubai Criminal Court.
The Briton's lawyer, Ali Al Shamsi, asked for the hearing to be rescheduled so the court could hear the testimony of a forensic expert who could not attend the hearing due to a death in the family.
The hearing was postponed to September 9.
On Saturday, the family of Matthew's wife, Jane, said she had repeatedly urged him to leave Dubai after he amassed debts of nearly a million dirhams.
Peter Manning, Jane's brother, is calling for Matthew to serve his full term, saying tensions between the couple had been mounting for at least a year over their “frightening” finances.
In an interview with The National, Mr Manning said: "The argument was not 'out of the blue' as the defence claim. It puts that night in a very different light. It was not her 'provocation' that caused him to batter her. It was the situation he had got them into. This is a critical issue that must be examined by court.
“They had debts of more than £200,000 in the form of six credit cards and two loans. These were building up interest. It must have been frightening.”
In March, after Matthew received his verdict, Jane's family issued a statement expressing their disappointment and hope that the sentence would be changed on appeal. The statement said that "justice has not yet been done".
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
Results
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: RB Kings Bay, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: AF Ensito, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: AF Sourouh, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
8.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Baaher, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
9pm: Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Mootahady, Antonio Fresu, Eric Lemartinel
9.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Dubai Canal, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar
10pm: Al Ain Cup – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Harrab, Bernardo Pinheiro, Majed Al Jahouri
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
