A BRITISH woman who stabbed her husband to death on a tropical island in Malaysia has escaped the death penalty.
Samantha Jones, 54, broke down when she was told her charge of murder had been reduced and she no longer faced death by hanging.
Instead the ex-insurance clerk from Somerset had been found guilty of “culpable homicide without intent” for stabbing her husband of 17-years, John Jones, 63, to death during a drunken row.
The new offence carries a maximum penalty of ten years imprisonment to a fine.
Samantha is set to be sentenced later on today.
On the day of the killing in October 18, 2018, John had been out all day drinking with his ex-pat pals when he returned to his his villa on the island of Langkawi. and an argument broke out.
She claims she was punched in the face and booted in the stomach before grabbing a knife in self-defence, as John goaded her to stab him.
She then stabbed the granddad-of-five, with the blade piercing his liver, before running to their Brit neighbour for help.
But by the time an ambulance arrived he was dead and she was arrested and later charged with his murder.
Shocking photos showed her arriving for hearings barefoot and shackled with matted hair.
Since the incident, she has been locked up in a crowded jail on the mainland waiting for her appearance in court today.
Her defence team said she had suffered years of domestic abuse throughout her marriage.
Speaking ahead of today’s court appearance, lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo, a human rights specialist, told the Mirror on Sunday: “The one thing she wants everyone to know is she actually really loved this man.
“He had a lot of problems himself and she was standing by him and working it through.
“She never imagined anything like this could ever happen. She’s lost her husband and home. She is still grieving, it has been a traumatic experience.
“We are of the view the facts of the case do not support a murder charge.”
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<!--googleon: all-->The couple moved to the tropical Langkawi island 11 years ago under Malaysia My Second Home program, which gives foreigners long-staying visas.
A conviction for murder usually carries a mandatory death sentence by hanging.
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