Dubai editor's murder cover-up did not convince cops, court hears

Dubai police officers, who reported to the villa of former Gulf News editor-at-large Francis Matthew - who is accused of murdering his wife - told a court on Sunday about the reasons they doubted his account of what happened to his wife on July 4.
A lieutenant colonel from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) told the Court of First Instance the 61-year-old Briton called the police on July 4 to say that thieves had killed his wife Jane, 62, in his villa at Umm Suqeim 1 while he was away. "But when we inspected the crime scene, we did not find evidence that could support his story. The safe was intact ... and his cold attitude raised our suspicions. For a man whose wife had just been brutally killed, he did not look shocked or traumatised."
The journalist earlier denied in court a charge of premeditated murder.
Another police major said in court that Matthew admitted later he hacked his wife to death with a hammer following a heated argument, claiming it was not intentional.
Around 5.45pm on July 4, a case of serious injury was reported by the police to paramedics. The paramedics found the body of a woman lying in a pool of blood.
"The accused said his wife was attacked by intruders and that he tried to revive her. His clothes were, however, clean. Besides, he looked very composed as he relayed to us his story of how he had found his wife's body in a pool of blood in her bed," the major said.
He added that the defendant's neighbours did not hear any noise that could suggest a burglary was going on next door.
Matthew told investigators he had been having financial troubles for the last two years due to loans he had taken. On the night of the incident, a dispute over leaving their villa and relocating to a less expensive house was the reason for their fight.
Public prosecution records show after he hit the victim's head twice with a hammer, the defendant quickly decided to cover up the crime. He made a mess in the bedroom to make it look like Jane was murdered by robbers. He went to work after disposing of the hammer in a garbage bin in the area.  
The court is set to hear more witnesses in the next hearing on December 17.
- mary@khaleejtimes.com

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