Man sets wife ablaze over ‘disputes’ — police

AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor on Saturday charged a 28-year-old Jordanian public bus driver with the premeditated murder of his Lebanese wife in Madaba over the weekend, official sources said.

"Police received information that a man murdered his wife and set her ablaze in Madaba around 1am on Saturday and he was immediately apprehended," Police Spokesperson Maj. Amer Sartawi said.

The police official told The Jordan Times that the suspect confessed to "murdering his wife over disputes and was referred to the Criminal Court prosecution office for further questioning".

In his initial confessions to Criminal Court Prosecutor Sultan Shakhanbeh, the suspect claimed that he murdered his wife "because he suspected her behaviour", a senior judicial source told The Jordan Times.

"The suspect told investigators he had planned the murder and purchased a flammable liquid [diesel], then lured his wife to a deserted area. Following a brief chat, he poured the flammable substance on her body and set her ablaze," the judicial source said.

The suspect then called his uncle "to inform him that he killed his wife and the latter immediately called the police to inform them about the incident", the judicial source added.

Shakhanbeh ordered forensic experts to collect samples from the victim's body and send it to the criminal lab for further analysis.

A second source told The Jordan Times that the couple were married for around six years and they have three children.

"Shakhanbeh plans to summon the defendant's family members and relatives to question them about the defendant's claims and his relationship with the victim," the second source added.

The suspect was ordered detained at a correctional and rehabilitation centre pending further investigations.