Former Gulf News editor sentenced to 10 years in prison, deportation
Francis Matthew pleaded not guilty to charge of premeditated murder
Former Gulf News editor-at-large Francis Matthew has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing his wife with a hammer in 2017, according to local media reports.
Matthew, 61, had pleaded not guilty to charges of premeditated murder for the incident, in which prosecutors said he intentionally killed his wife by striking her on the head with a hammer following an altercation at their home in Umm Suqeim on July 4, 2017.
Police testified in court that while Matthew initially claimed that he had found his wife dead following a robbery, he eventually confessed.
In previous court sessions, the British national’s defence attorney argued that he was suffering from a case of “temporary insanity” after being repeatedly provoked and insulted throughout the course of the night, Gulf News reported.
The court ruling on Sunday is subject to appeal within a 15-day period.
Matthew was the editor of Gulf News between 1995 and 2005 before becoming editor-at-large.
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