The family of a woman who was bludgeoned to death by her husband at their home in Dubai fear his prison sentence will be reduced by a court.
Former newspaper editor Francis Matthew has launched an appeal against his sentence after being convicted of manslaughter earlier this year.
He was jailed for ten years for the brutal killing of his wife Jane with a hammer after an argument at their villa in the United Arab Emirates.
But lawyers for the 61-year-old are appealing for his sentence to be reduced to as little as three years – a move that has outraged Jane’s distraught family.
Brit Jane Matthew, 62, (pictured) was attacked with a hammer by her husband of 33 years, former newspaper editor Francis Matthew, at their home in Dubai on July 3 last year
Matthew, 61, (pictured) was jailed for ten years for the brutal killing of his wife Jane after a row over money at their villa in the United Arab Emirates. He told prosecutors his wife called him ‘a loser’ over their financial woes and that he had a temporary moment of insanity and killed her
Matthew (left), who is the former editor of Gulf News in Dubai and was well-known in the ex-pat community, was convicted of his wife Jane’s (right) manslaughter – but his lawyers are trying to get his 10-year sentence cut, much to the distress of her brother
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Jane’s brother, Peter Manning, said: ‘At the trial there was no one to speak for Jane.
‘We do not want to see his sentence reduced as we have been told it could be as little as three years.’
Peter hopes a forensic report into Jane’s death will be used at the appeal to bolster their case and make sure Matthew stays behind bars.
He said the family feared Matthew’s defence team were planning to introduce books written by the former journalists in his role as a newspaper editor that praise Dubai’s ruler as evidence of his good character and hope it will sway the appeal court judges.
‘The books have no relevance to the trial or what he did to our sister but will be used to try and persuade the appeal court about his good character,’ said Peter.
Jane, 62, was found battered to death on July 3 last year at the villa she shared with her husband of 32 years in the Umb Sequim area of Dubai.
Matthew, the former editor-at-large of the English language Dubai based newspaper Gulf News and well known in the ex-pat community of the UAE, had initially claimed he had returned home to find his wife dead after being killed by robbers.
Jane’s family are distraught after her killer husband’s lawyers appealed for his sentence to be reduced to just three years. They released this picture of Jane as a schoolgirl to coincide with their appeal to keep his sentence at 10 years
Jane’s family dispute Matthew’s version of events that he and Jane argued after he told her they were in financial trouble and about to lose their home
But he changed his story during questioning by police and admitted he had hit her twice with a hammer after they argued over their mounting debts.
Matthew claimed he had suffered a ‘moment of insanity’ and struck his wife as she lay in bed after she had called him a ‘loser’ over their financial problems.
Her brother told MailOnline the couple were more than £200,000 in debt. Matthew was charged with murder and had faced the death penalty.
But a court in Dubai reduced the charge to physical assault leading to death – the UK equivalent of manslaughter. He was convicted in March and his lawyers announced an immediate appeal.
Jane’s brother said the prosecution plan to press for a murder charge to be reinstated at the appeal.
The family dispute Matthew’s version of events that he and Jane argued after he told her they were in financial trouble and about to lose their home.
‘The way it was portrayed in court is that the financial problems came as a surprise to Jane. That is just not true. She had known all along about the financial trouble and was well aware they were having to leave their villa as it was being knocked down.’
Jane’s husband had initially claimed he had returned home to find his wife dead after being killed by robbers – but changed his story to admit he had killed her in an argument over debts
Jane’s family dispute her husband’s version of events that he and Jane argued after he told her they were in debt and about to lose their home. But her brother said: ‘The way it was portrayed in court is that the financial problems came as a surprise to Jane. That is just not true’
‘There was no one to speak for Jane and it was just taken for fact that what Matthew was saying was correct.
‘She was well aware of their financial difficulties but Matthew portrayed that it came as a surprise.’
Peter, 51, from Essex, said: ‘I saw Jane in the morgue and the wounds were horrendous. But the way it came across in court was that this was some sort of unintentional assault.
‘Jane’s death was being portrayed as an argument that got out of hand and he was provoked.
‘But even if he was provoked by the argument it does not justify what happened. By reducing the charge from murder to manslaughter the court is saying they understand what happened wasn’t intentional.’
Peter, who works as head of international trade for Essex Council, said the case has implications for other wives, who live and work in Dubai.
He said: ‘From what we see, this case has huge implications for other women in Dubai. The message being sent out that the mildest provocation can result in an assault but if it results in the death then the charge they will face will be manslaughter.
‘The court verdict seems to say that a simple domestic argument is provocation for a serious assault and Jane was responsible for her own death. Dubai is trying to show they are a gender equality leader among other nations but this shows women are not treated as equal.’