A Dubai newspaper editor accused of killing his wife neither planned the killing nor intended to fatally hit her, his lawyer said as he urged the court to amend a premeditated murder charge that could see him executed.
Francis Matthew, 61, hit his wife with a hammer during a row about financial problems in what Ali Al Shamsi described as a moment of "temporary insanity".
The British journalist should instead face a charge of 'physical assault leading to death', he told Dubai Criminal Court Judge Fahd Al Shamsi.
Matthew, who was editor-at-large at Gulf News until his arrest and prosecution, killed his wife of 30 years, Jane, by hitting her twice on the head with a hammer at their home in Umm Sequim 1 on July 3.
Prosecutors said he went to work the next day, then returned and called police, claiming his wife had been attacked by thieves, which police quickly ruled out.
But Matthew and his lawyer maintain that the killing was unintentional.
“Premeditated murder means previous planning and criminal intent, which my client didn't have," he told the court.
"A man who had already planned to travel back home [to the UK] along with his wife for their son’s graduation and for her parents’ anniversary certainly did not previously plan a murder nor did he have any intent to end his wife’s life.
"What happened your honour was the outcome of a moment of temporary insanity provoked by the wife’s actions, when she learnt that Francis was facing financial problems."
He also said prosecutors have failed to present any evidence showing criminal intent or premeditation. He also said the fact Matthew attempted to cover up the crime did not constitute premeditated murder, claiming that he was "in denial".
"When my client knew his wife had died, he was in denial at first and then his imagination created this robbery story," said Mr Al Shamsi.
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Read more:
Prosecutors seek death penalty for Gulf News editor accused of murdering wife
Dubai court told of editor's blood-soaked bedroom and facts that didn't add up
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Al Shamsi presented a signed document to the court, from her family and including their son, which he said stated that the family do not wish Matthew to be prosecuted for murder.
In a previous hearing, Matthew and his son were also allowed to hug in the courtroom.
According to prosecution records, Matthew reported his wife had been assaulted by thieves on July 4 last year and police arrived to the couple’s home at 5.45pm.
The victim was found dead in her bed with a severe head wound.
During questioning, the defendant said he left home to work at around 8am and returned at about 5pm to find his wife dead. He denied having anything to do with her murder but police said he later admitted to hitting her on the head twice with a hammer.
Matthew allegedly told officers that he had told his wife he was facing financial difficulties due to bank loans and that they would need to relocate to a smaller apartment instead of their villa.
Police said he told them problems then began between the two and the victim allegedly provoked Matthew, calling him a "loser" and saying that his responsibility was to provide money.
Police said that Matthew admitted to getting really angry, then 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 was lying in her bed.
Records show that he then panicked then decided to fake the surrounding [area] into a robbery scene, so he made a mess in the bedroom and in the rest of the house.
The court has already heard the testimonies of six people — four Emirati police officers, a Sri Lankan gardener and an Egyptian forensic expert — all of whom gave incriminating testimonies against the defendant. It also listened to the testimonies of Matthew’s son, brother and sister.
Matthew was editor of Gulf News from 1995 to 2005 and editor-at-large between then and the crime last summer. He had been married to his wife for more than 32 years.
A verdict is expected on March 25.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group F
Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Company%C2%A0profile
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UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
The biog
Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic
How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
more from Janine di Giovanni
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
How to help
Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
2252 - Dh50
6025 - Dh20
6027 - Dh100
6026 - Dh200
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Company%C2%A0profile
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