Sydney, Sep 27 (IANS) An Indian-origin woman told a court in Australia Monday that she set fire to her husband’s genitals because she believed he was having an affair. The man later died of burn injuries.
Rajini Narayan, 46, told the South Australian Supreme Court in Adelaide, that she poured petrol on her husband, Satish Narayan, 47, and set him on fire, Australia’s AAP news agency reported Monday.
Rajini had allegedly been subjected to 20 years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband, but she still loved him and considered him as her ‘god’.
Though she pleaded not guilty to the murder of her husband in 2008, the fire caused him 75 percent burns and he died in hospital a few weeks later.
The fire also damaged the couple’s house in Unley, a suburb of Adelaide.
Prosecutor Tim Preston said Rajini Narayan told her neighbours: ‘I did it. It wasn’t an accident.’
She also told the court her husband was having an affair and that she wanted to burn his genitals.
Police found at the crime scene printouts of emails from her husband to another woman.
Defence counsel Lindy Powell said even though she suffered at his hands, she still loved him. ‘More than loved him, she idolised him.’
Rajini went to their bedroom with a container of petrol and a candle. As she approached him, she told him she had seen his emails and that she was going to burn his genitals and tell his family what he had done.’
In response, Satish called her a fat, dumb bitch, Powell told the jury.
It was then that Rajini lost control and threw the petrol and the candle on his back.
