A judge in the United Arab Emirates has found a British newspaper editor guilty of killing his wife with a hammer and has sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

Francis Matthews was not on hand Sunday when the verdict came down in a Dubai courtroom. He had faced the death penalty. He will be deported after serving his sentence.

On July 4, Dubai police say they were called to Matthews' home, where they found his wife dead. Police say Matthews initially said his wife had been assaulted by robbers, but later confessed.

Matthews had served as the editor of the prominent English-language newspaper Gulf News from 1995-2005 and then became an editor-at-large at the newspaper.

Matthews and his wife were prominent members of the UAE's large British expatriate community.