Egypt: Man stabs father to death over TV wire

Dubai: A 35-year-old Egyptian man killed his father following a row over a TV wire, local media reported.

The man admitted to stabbing his 60-year-old father to death before the public prosecution, claiming he did not mean to kill him but was surprised with his father getting angry and stirring up a row over the TV wire.

“I was holding a knife, using it to repair the TV wire when we started the verbal altercation and without realising what I was doing, I unintentionally stabbed my father, causing him serious injuries that led to his death,” the suspect said in his confession.

“I did not think for a second to kill my father, but I was surprised by my father getting into an argument as he thought that I was intentionally damaging the TV wire, so the brawl ended with me stabbing him,” he added.

The crime took place in Kafr El Shaikh city. The man is still being interrogated by public prosecution pending trial.

Hardly a day passes by in Egypt without local media reporting a grisly crime involving members of the same family, triggering fears of a spike in domestic violence in the country of over 100 million people, amid economic and social pressure due to COVID-19.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic early last year, the Egyptian government has been at pains to maintain a balance between protecting public health and keeping economy open.

The government has also offered financial assistance to casual, irregular workers who have borne the brunt of fallout from the virus-related restrictions. Authorities have, moreover, expanded a safety net for the country’s less fortunate categories through a nationwide state-funded support programme.