A British woman who faced the death penalty in Malaysia after stabbing her abusive husband to death has been pictured back in the UK with a ‘ring on her wedding finger’.
Samantha Jones, 55, was imprisoned in the Asian country after she killed her husband John Jones, 63, at their home on the island of Langkawi in 2018.
She was spared the nation’s mandatory death penalty by hanging after a judge ruled she was not guilty of John’s murder – and ordered to spend three years behind bars in February.
Ms Jones was freed from her rat-infested cell in Pokok Sena this summer, and MailOnline understands her family paid for her flight back to the UK – with assistance from the Foreign Office.
Pictures released in the Mirror show Jones with a ‘ring on her wedding finger’ and driving a Range Rover with personalised number plate at her three-bedroom home near Yeovil.
Samantha Jones, 55, was spared the mandatory death penalty and was imprisoned after she killed her husband John Jones, 63, at their home on the island of Langkawi, Malaysia in 2018
Last August, a judge spared her the mandatory penalty of death by hanging after ruling she was not guilty of John’s murder. Instead Jones, who claimed to have stabbed John (pictured) in self-defence after suffering years of physical abuse, was found guilty of ‘culpable homicide without intent’
Jones said she stabbed her husband (scene, pictured) after he returned from an all-day drinking session with friends and became abusive – hitting her in the face and stomach
Jones says she grabbed a knife (pictured) to protect herself, then plunged it into her husband’s chest as he goaded her to attack him
The former insurance clerk and her husband, who was a retired fisherman, moved to Malaysia 17 years ago from Somerset after falling in love with the country on a holiday in 2002.
But she claims their ‘new life’ quickly turned into ‘hell in paradise’ as John – a father-of-two and grandfather-of-four – drank heavily and physically abused her.
She stabbed him in October 2018 after he returned drunk to their villa on the dream island of Langkawi.
John, a retired fire service chief, suffered a deep stab wound to his chest, which fatally pierced his liver.
Jones originally faced the death penalty and wept when she was found not guilty of murder and was instead jailed for 42 months.
She insisted on the eve of her trial: ‘I loved that man.’
Her lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo said Jones had suffered a broken jaw during one beating, and feared that John would kill her one day.
Speaking ahead of the trial, Deo told The Mirror: ‘The one thing she wants everyone to know is she really loved this man.
‘He had a lot of problems and she was standing by him and working it through.
‘She never imagined anything like this could ever happen. She’s lost her husband and home. She is still grieving, it has been a traumatic experience.
‘We are of the view the facts of the case do not support a murder charge.’
She stabbed him in October 2018 after he returned drunk to their villa on the dream island of Langkawi
She was arrested and charged with murder before being found guilty of ‘culpable homicide’, which is better known as manslaughter – an unlawful killing which does not involve intent to harm or kill
Friends in the area have previously claimed that John banned her from talking to other men and even attacked her with a sword on one occasion.
On the day of the killing – October 18, 2018 – John had been out all day drinking with his ex-pat friends when he returned home and an argument broke out.
Before they moved to Malaysia, Jones said she reported John twice to the police in the UK for abusing her, but felt unable to go to police in Malaysia because the subject is ‘taboo’
She claims she was punched in the face and kicked in the stomach before grabbing a knife in self defence, as John goaded her to stab him.
Jones says she ran to the bathroom clutching the knife, before stabbing John in the chest as he renewed his attack on her – with the knife piercing his liver.
She then ran to a neighbour to call for help, but by the time an ambulance arrived, John had bled to death.
She was arrested and charged with murder before being found guilty of ‘culpable homicide’, which is better known as manslaughter – an unlawful killing which does not involve intent to harm or kill.
Jones returned to the UK this summer after her family paid out for her flights and accommodation. She completed her mandatory 10-day quarantine period at an undisclosed location.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: ‘Our staff supported a British woman and were in touch with her family during her detention. We worked with local authorities to facilitate her return to the UK once deportation had been approved.’