A former local press sub-editor standing trial for the murder of his wife will learn his fate next week.

Raymond Singh, who worked for the East Anglian Daily Times between 2004 and 2007, is accused of stabbing his 39-year-old wife Wendy to death at their home in the Fijian capital Suva last May. Singh denies murder.

In summing up, Singh’s defence lawyer Haroon Ali Shah told assessors at Fiji High Court there was no evidence to suggest that his client had killed his wife.

He said: “We are talking about the jagged wound that was on Wendy’s neck and which was the cause of death of the deceased.

“The jagged wound suggests that the object which caused the wound was a sharp irregular object, therefore, it might have happened with a bottle.

“But there is absolutely no evidence of Raymond’s fingerprint found on any of the bottles and even in the knife which was found at the scene of the crime. The knife is ruled out because it is a regular sharp object.”

Mr Shah added that neighbours told the court they could see Singh’s upper torso in the house at the time of the murder but none of the neighbours said they saw any form of murder object in his hands.

The couple moved to Fiji in 2007 with their two young children and Mrs Singh’s teenage son from a previous marriage so they could be closer to Singh’s family.

It is expected that the assessors will give their verdict on the case first before Justice Daniel Gounder delivers his judgment next week.