Dubai: A guard has been jailed for 10 years for stabbing his wife to death and then trying to kill himself, although he claimed in court that he was defending himself.
According to records, the 26-year-old Cameroonian guard said he walked out of the washroom in his residence when he saw his countrywoman wife holding a knife and threatening to kill herself in November 2017.
When the accused saw his wife with the knife, he rushed towards her and took away the knife before he grabbed her neck and stabbed her.
The 26-year-old stabbed his wife in different areas of her body and stabbed himself as well without disclosing the reasons why they had a heated argument.
On Tuesday, the Dubai Court of First Instance jailed the accused to 10 years in jail for killing his wife and handed him three additional months for attempting suicide.
Presiding judge Mohammad Jamal said the accused will be deported after serving his punishment.
The Cameroonian accused argued in court earlier that he was defending himself.
“She is the one who stabbed me seven times in my stomach, once in my arm and in my neck. I did not intend to kill her, but it was self defence after she had initiated the attack,” he contended.
A flatmate called an ambulance and reported the matter to the police.
By the time crime scene investigators and paramedics arrived at the flat in Al Barsha, the wife had already died. The accused was rushed to hospital for treatment.
Later, he didn’t disclose the reasons for their argument to the police, said records.
His court-appointed lawyer asked the court to acquit his client of premeditated murder and give him a lenient punishment.
A Cameroonian flatmate of the accused testified that the incident happened shortly after the couple returned home.
“When I returned home, maintenance workers told me that they had come to do some work, but nobody answered the door. I knocked, but no one answered. When I called the defendant’s mobile, he didn’t respond. We opened the door with a spare key and walked in to the flat. The victim and her husband were down on the floor and there was blood all over the place,” he said.
A police lieutenant testified: “After he recovered, I questioned him and he alleged that the deceased grabbed a knife and threatened to kill herself. He said he took the knife away from her and stabbed her and himself.
Tuesday’s ruling remains subject to appeal within 15 days.
