Man cleared of murdering his mother-in-law

Mohammad Soboh, 41, was accused of repeatedly striking Pauline Knowles-Samarraie, 72, over the head with a metal lintel and then pouring accelerant over her body while his wife and children were out for the day.

Ms Knowles-Samarraie, whose first husband and son were executed in Iraq under Saddam Hussein's regime, was found burnt from the waist upwards and pronounced dead at the family home in Grand Crescent, Rottingdean, near Brighton, East Sussex, on April 22 last year.

The trial heard that, although Soboh was married at the time to the woman's daughter, Nada, he had also once been married to Ms Knowles-Samarraie.

The pair wed in a marriage of convenience in the early 1990s so Soboh could get a working visa when they set up a business in the US. However, he later fell in love with her daughter and they married and moved back to the UK along with Ms Knowles-Samarraie, who lived with the couple.

Jurors were shown a transcript of a 999 call made by Soboh at 1.25pm on April 22. In it, he said he had found Ms Knowles-Samarraie alight in the kitchen but was unable to reach her.

When firefighters arrived they found the bungalow smoke-logged and had to crawl through the conservatory on their hands and knees to reach her in her position slumped up against the patio doors with her arms up above her shoulders and the fire still burning on her thighs.

Ms Knowles-Samarraie was pronounced dead at the scene, while Soboh was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. A police officer stayed with him and when he was discharged at around 6pm he was arrested on suspicion of Ms Knowles-Samarraie's murder.

Soboh told police that Ms Knowles-Samarraie, who was described as a "fit and very active lady", had recently complained of suffering from dizzy spells.

Soboh collapsed in the dock in tears after jurors at Lewes Crown Court cleared him of murder following 21 hours and 39 minutes of deliberation. After Soboh recovered his composure, Judge Michael Lawson QC said: "He's free to go."