An appeals court in Abu Dhabi opened hearings on Wednesday to try an Arab man accused of murdering his wife during a heated argument, press reports said on Thursday.
The case was referred from the court of cassation after wife relatives pardoned the killer with asking for blood money.
The unidentified defendant denied committing premeditated murder by stabbing his wife to death during their argument at home.
He said his wife pulled a knife and wanted to stab him, prompting him to snatch the knife off her and stabbing her.
“All this happened in just a second…I did not intend to kill her,” he told court, according to the Arabic language daily Alkhaleej.
It said the defendant and his wife have a seven-year-old son, who is now in his grandfather’s custody.