Former Gulf News Editor, Francis Matthew, sentenced earlier this year to 10 years in jail for the murder his wife with a hammer, has received a backlash from the Dubai courts on his appeal to reduce the length of his sentence.
Overturning the appeal, the Dubai Appeal Court upgraded his conviction and increased the sentence of the former editor to 15 years, up 5 years.
When Matthew lodged an appeal to reduce the length of his sentence last month, the victim’s family told the media that they were upset with the appeal and asked the court to make the sentence even harsher.
Francis Matthew was found guilty in March this year of killing his wife Jane Matthew with a hammer in Dubai in July 2017. Initially, he claimed that his wife was killed by thieves who broke into their home on 4 July while he was at work. However, he later admitted killing his wife after they had an argument over his suggestion to move to a smaller house as they were already in debt.