Man who stabbed wife to death and then tried to kill himself is jailed

A security guard who stabbed his wife to death in a "fit of rage" before trying to kill himself was sentenced to 10 years behind bars.

The 26-year-old worker launched a vicious attack on his partner after finding her in a distressed state, holding a knife and threatening to take her own life.

The defendant, from Cameroon, took the knife from her and stabbed her a number of times with it, delivering a fatal blow to her back as she tried to flee from him, Dubai Criminal Court heard.

Remorseful over his actions, he then stabbed himself six times in the stomach.

The incident took place on September 7, in Al Rahba, Dubai.

The couple's roommate, 27, also from Cameroon, said he had left the couple alone after they became embroiled in an argument.

He told the court he had never seen the pair fight before and that they were both "happy" as the victim had just had a promising job interview.

“I have never seen them fight before and on that day, they were both happy because the wife had been to a job interview and it was promising,” he said.

He said that once he returned to the room, he saw a group of maintenance workers gathered outside his door, unable to get in.

“I started knocking on the door but there was no answer and I was sure that the couple were inside. I called him on his mobile phone but he didn't answer so I called for the supervisor to unlock the door with the spare key,” the roommate said.

The supervisor unlocked the door and called police after finding the woman's body.

Police and an ambulance team found the wife’s body in a pool of blood near the door. The defendant was sitting on the floor next to the bed and bleeding heavily from his stomach.

He required hospital treatment for his injuries.

During police questioning, the defendant said he went to the toilet and returned to find his Cameroonian wife — whose age was not disclosed in records — holding a knife and threatening to kill herself.

“He said that in a fit of rage, he took the knife from her and began stabbing her. When she tried to run away, he stabbed her in the back after which she fell motionless,” said an Emirati lieutenant.

After seeing his wife dead, the defendant stabbed himself in the stomach.

The defendant denied charges of premeditated murder and attempting suicide when he appeared in court in May, but was convicted of the charge during his latest court appearance.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the premeditated murder of his wife and also ordered to serve an additional three months for attempting to kill himself.

He will be deported after serving his term, which he can appeal within two weeks.