Wife guilty of murdering husband in drunken domestic incident

Kumarathas Rajasingam was stabbed to death with a kitchen knife

A woman who stabbed her husband to death after a drunken row has been found guilty of murder.

Jeyamalar Kumarathas, 55, killed Kumarathas Rajasingam at their home in Burdock Close, Wymondham, in March last year.

A jury at Norwich Crown Court heard Ms Kumarathas had a history of alcoholism.

Det Insp Neil Stewart, from Norfolk Police, said the case was "a tragedy for all involved".

The East of England Ambulance Service had responded to a call from the couple's daughter on 16 March 2019, saying her mother had stabbed her father.

When police officers arrived just before midnight, they found Mr Rajasingam, 57, with stab wounds to his side and back.

He died the following day of multiple organ failure at Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.

Kumarathas Rajasingam was stabbed at his home in Wymondham, Norfolk

During the eight-day trial, the court heard how Kumarathas' alcoholism had become significantly worse following the death of a close friend in 2008.

Their marriage was described as "unhappy and volatile" and the defendant had claimed her husband had hit her for 10 years.

The family had become known to police in relation to a series of domestic-related incidents. There had been reports of anti-social behaviour and drunkenness around both their home and a shop they owned in Blackthorn Close, Wymondham.

A family statement said Mr Rajasingam was a "proud, confident, social, outgoing and wise" man, whose life was taken away too early.

Det Insp Stewart said the trial had been "extremely challenging for everyone involved", particularly the couple's two adult children who had been present when the murder took place.

He added that despite "sharing the care of their autistic son and being the family breadwinner", Mr Rajasingam had often been subject to abuse from his wife, culminating "in her use of a kitchen knife to stab him, causing him catastrophic injuries".

Jeyamalar Kumarathas is due to be sentenced at Norwich Crown Court on Monday.