TO think he's not a fucking teddy bear?

[Bunlicker]

^Friends and associates of Mr Matthew said they were astounded to hear that the genteel editor was under arrest. “He is the biggest teddy bear I know,” said one family friend.

Aibu to think this is shocking reporting?

Intentionally throwing a hammer at a person is a pretty clear indication of the man's character.

British newspaper editor 'admits he accidentally killed wife by throwing a hammer at her in their Dubai home' - The Telegraph
apple.news/ALsGp3iLhSV23LnKUEzkOFA

So if Turtle's understanding is right, his son will have to make his own mind up if his dad murdered his mum, it was a genuine accident or he's being framed for whatever reason and his decision will affect whether his dad lives or dies. That is horrible.

Haworthy

Just said it perfectly.

And I should have said "it is different at this point of time" - not that it will be different forever; it may not be different when more information comes to light.

Even from a "Dubai perspective" there are things that do not add up in the reporting of this case. The six day wait to release any information is extremely odd - particularly because there will have been a push to assure expat communities (or at least there usually is).

Secondly, there was a huge event with hundreds of journalists last night - supposedly this was not spoken about at all - and posts about it were disappearing from blogs, social media, the online newspapers.

Yes, the media need to really improve their gender-bias with reporting DV cases, but right now, this may not be the cause of how this case is being reported.

CheshireChat

Not quite - there will be a trial. Over the next month or two the dad will have access to legal representation and there will be a trial in court. If he is found guilty and the sentence is the death penalty, then his son may be asked if he will spare his father's execution for a blood money payment. The Sheikh (the one in the photographs), will have the final say on whether the execution goes ahead if that is the sentence.

It is horrible.

But the reporters don't exist in a void so even if the bias is there for another reason, it doesn't mean there isn't a misogynistic slant to the article.

Thanks for clarifying that, Hurtle.

Quentin

I too can see both sides. The Telegraph's reporting is awful, regardless of whether he is guilty or not. But it is possible that there is something bloody malignant going on. The UAE's behaviour re Qatar etc is highly questionable and the news was always censored. For example, there were quite a few Islamic terrorist attacks in SA which were never reported in any media outlet.

If they wanted to frame him for something just for the fun, surely they'd not invent something as outlandish as this?

Someone intentionally killed this woman. While it is in theory possible that it was an important official and thus the husband is framed so that the international public won't think bad of Dubai, that's unlikely.

Especially since Dubai cares nothing at all about international reputation, they're quite happily misogynistic.

Perhaps he confessed so easily because he was caught in the act and claiming it to be an accident makes him look much better than intentional murder.

VestalVirgin

I am afraid you've misunderstood what I was saying; I am not suggesting an important person killed her, or that she was killed in an attempt to frame him.

Dubai cares nothing at all about international reputation

You couldn't be further from the truth with this statement. Dubai relies on tourism, and it's reputation as a safe destination for both tourists and expats, to finance the Emirate.

He wasn't caught in the act - he'd left the house.

You couldn't be further from the truth with this statement. Dubai relies on tourism, and it's reputation as a safe destination for both tourists and expats, to finance the Emirate.

They apparently still don't care enough to abstain from imprisoning women for being raped.

So ... not so terribly much. Or they are relying on having a good reputation amongst misogynists. In which case, however, it is very much against their interests to punish a man for murdering his wife, regardless of whether he did it or not.

vestal

It's actually not against their interests to punish a man for murdering his wife / partner / ex partner; they have done so several times before.

They do, and will continue to, protect their tourism industry, and thus, they very much do care what they outside world thinks of them in that respect. That's because it is the major income source.

I haven't seen much of a public outcry about the way they treat women after rape and sexual assault, or women who've had their children removed, from people in the UK. Perhaps if that happened, the government would listen and things would change. However, mostly, people are quite happy to not get involved as they believe it will never effect them; those living in Dubai can't speak out about such things openly.

"it is very much against their interests to punish a man for murdering his wife"

It's really not against their interests. You don't understand the politics that can occur in some Middle Eastern countries with regards to discrepancies in the criminal justice systems.

Statement from Detained in Dubai:

Francis Matthew, British national and editor at large at Gulf News faces murder charges in the UAE. Will he get a fair trial if he pleads not guilty?
Dubai Media Office stated that he has “confessed” to “killing his wife due to marital issues”. Detained in Dubai has since received a number of calls from shocked and concerned friends.
Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai and Stirling Haigh said “Dubai Media Office’s account should not be taken too seriously. Even the wording of this statement could be interpreted in more ways than one; we do not know whether Francis will plead innocent and what evidence, if any, the prosecution has. We caution against any rush to judgment in this case based on media reports.”
Forced confessions or forced signings of documents in Arabic are commonplace and the prosecution relies heavily on confessions as evidence. Once a confession is made, even if unknowingly or under duress, it would be extremely difficult to have it eliminated from the trial.
If Francis intends to plead either not guilty or to a reduced charge such as manslaughter or assault, he will face challenges. The judicial system in the UAE is in desperate need of improvement; the process highly favours the prosecution and it remains difficult to achieve justice. If convicted of murder, Francis could face the death penalty or a lengthy custodial sentence. However, given that Francis is a British National, he is at very little risk of receiving the death penalty, again illustrating the extent of discrimination in the UAE’s legal system.
In some cases of murder and rape, the convicted person has spent less time in prison than others convicted of “bounced cheques” or financial crime.”
We extend our sympathies to the families and friends of Francis and Jane.

"I think that if he is found guilty then the quotes are important because it shows how some people have no idea what monsters can actually be like."

Do you really think this is how it works? And if so, why does the same reporting in other cases in the British press (links supplied) not usually lead to this result? Why does it so quickly turn to "oh something must have happened to make such a lovely man flip"? The only reason the latter is no longer said about the Spalding murder case is because of the courageous campaign launched by the victim's sons; it is not because any conclusions drawn either by the press or by its readers. So why would they suddenly act different in this case, if Mr Matthew is found guilty?

I haven't read the full thread - but a few points: Gulf News reported Jane's death but merely neglected to say their ed-at-large was being held in connection to his wife's death. The story was broken by the Daily Mail. The UAE will not be controlling this story - it doesn't have that degree of control over foreign media. And most of the UK papers have stringers in the UAE that write under pseudonyms. The journalism community here certainly is speaking about this case - many have known Francis for years. (He does both speak and read Arabic, as an aside.)

GnusSitOnCanoes All quotes were coming from UAE journalists from what I could see. Yes, he was first named by the DM before being named in the UAE.

How come he's got a translator if he is fluent in spoken and written Arabic? Generally curious about this; I was told he spoke Arabic but wasn't fluent with writing.

This was not discussed on Monday night at the journo event in Dubai - it has been mentioned by several journalists that it wasn't discussed (along with the fact that online articles and posts were disappearing).

corythatwas

Do you not think that people are more aware that monsters can lead seemingly normal lives after Claudia Hawes's murder? It has certainly made more people aware of how anyone can be capable of DV in the circles that I am - it could be that nice guy that everyone looks up to.

You cannot know whether it was discussed at the UAE journos event unless you were present for all conversations, at all times. It is also an event that caters more to new journalists - I know very few people who attend - which may also sway the level of interest. I can assure you we, as an industry, are speaking about this. Many of us knew him.

One thread was deleted in a UAE journalists group, not for any sinister reasons, but because it was deemed by the admin to be speculating inappropriately on elements of the case. There are sub judice laws that govern how we report in most markets - it was felt by the admin (and that is only their- possibly overzealous - judgment call) that the post strayed too close to the line. There is absolutely not a social media blackout around this case. My feeds are full of it.

This is not a case that will register with Dubai on a PR level. It isn't a Dubai Inc case, nor a 'rape/sex-outside-of-marriage' case, or others that draw headlines for broader reasons. I suspect from their perspective, is very sad, but also fairly clear-cut.

I'm sure he does have a translator. He is British and well-connected, and there will be lobbying on his behalf to ensure he has legal representation and adequate support. (Many who don't speak or read Arabic in any capacity are not afforded the same in dealings with the police.)

GnusSitOnCanoes

I haven't said there was a social media blackout - some posts, news articles and threads did disappear though. This was not widely spoken about on Monday night and several journalists have said that. My feeds are also no full of it.

He was given access to a translator after his confession. Naturally I support anyone having access to legal representation and appropriate support during a criminal trial; not entirely sure why anyone wouldn't.

GnusSitOnCanoes

Also on the blackout front - why was nothing reported between Tuesday and the Weekend?

now full of it not, not full of it.

ETA Also, I left Dubai four years ago and have only been back twice; maybe there have been huge changes in journalism since I left but I doubt that there's going to free reporting on a murder case where the man who has allegedly confessed to the crime was shaking hands with a Sheikh two weeks previously.

Hurtle, he was at the same media Iftar that Sheikh Mo holds every year. It wasn't a personal audience. He's not that important. There will be reporting on this. It's not on a par with the the Sheikh Issa story. THAT we all had to tread incredibly carefully on.

Nothing was reported because word hasn't yet got out. Sometimes we miss stories. As soon as the DM broke the news, UAE outlets here followed. GN, which did know, is in a slightly different situation simply because he's their EAL.

Look, I'm not suggesting we have a free press in the UAE. Far from it. I'm simply saying you're overstating Francis' importance to Dubai. They won't pull rank on this.

ETA - domestic press has to tread carefully. Foreign press did not. For all the obvious reasons.

It's not on a par with the the Sheikh Issa story. THAT we all had to tread incredibly carefully on.

Can you say more about that, Gnu, though I realise the extreme delicacy? I wasn't living in Dubai then, and didn't follow the domestic coverage -- though in fact it came into my head the other day for some reason, and I realised I had no idea whether there had ever been any follow-up after the trial. Or 'trial'.

"overstating Francis' importance to Dubai"

That's honestly not what i am stating at all. I am really not. Actually, sort of the opposite.

Fiachra - in essence, we all followed the WAM line (that's the state news agency). Then once the trial concluded, we were all terribly quiet on the matter.