British editor of Dubai newspaper accused of bludgeoning wife to death and then completing full day of work

Prosecutors in Dubai seek death penalty for Francis Matthew, who allegedly killed wife Jane Matthew with a hammer after an argument about finances

Prosecutors said that Mr Matthew took a shower and threw the hammer away in a skip before greeting the gardener and going to work. (Francis Matthew/Twitter)

A British newspaper editor had a chat about the weather with his gardener and then headed off to work despite bludgeoning his wife to death with a hammer earlier that morning, a Dubai court has heard.

Francis Matthew, 61, is accused of the murder of Jane Matthew, 62, whom he told police was murdered during a break in on 3 July at their home in upmarket Umm Sequim. He appeared in court on Wednesday, where he pleaded not guilty to premeditating her death.

The editor-at-large of Emirati newspaper Gulf News called police when he returned from work on 4 July, a police witness said.

Jane Matthew was found dead at the home she shares with her husband in Dubai (Facebook)

“We walked into the bedroom to find the victim in a pool of blood and a severe head wound. She was undressed and her belongings including valuables were scattered across the room. A safe was also found on the floor, which the defendant said was knocked over by thieves,” the officer testified.

However, on questioning, Mr Matthews allegedly changed his story, saying that the couple had argued the previous evening over financial problems which may have meant they had to move into a smaller apartment.

The argument had continued when they got up the next morning. When Mr Matthew tried to avoid the quarrel, his wife allegedly provoked and pushed him.

“He told us that he got really angry, picked up a hammer from one of the shelves in the kitchen then followed her to the bedroom and hit her twice on her forehead while she was lying in her bed,“ the police officer said.

“He said he realised she was dead when she started bleeding heavily from the head and nose and, for a few minutes, he didn't know what to do. Then he 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.”

According to The National, prosecutors said that Mr Matthew took a shower and threw the hammer away in a skip before greeting the gardener and going to work.

Mr Matthew’s lawyer Ali al Shamsi has asked for the defendant to receive a reduced prison sentence. Several members of Mrs Matthew’s family have allegedly dropped the charges against him.

The couple, who married in 1985, have one son. They had lived in the UAE for 30 years, where a ex-colleague said both Jane and Francis were well known among Dubai’s large expatriate scene.

Mr Matthew continued to write regularly for Gulf News after stepping down as editor in 2005.

His next hearing is scheduled for 25 October.