Indian-origin husband killer convicted

Adelaide-based 46-year-old Rajini Narayan, whose abusive husband burnt to death after she set fire to his genitals was cleared of murdering her husband, Satish, but convicted of manslaughter and would be sentenced on November 22.

The woman said she had set out to “purify” her husband’s genitals, but sprinkled petrol on his back and set it alight when he sneered at her plan and called her a “fat dumb bitch”.

Suspecting her husband of having an extramarital affair, Rajini told the South Australian Supreme Court that he was her hero and she wanted to “purify” his penis so that he would remain with her.

Her husband, 47-year-old Satish Narayan, succumbed to 75 per cent burns, three weeks after the incident in December 2008 in which their family home was also charred.

Jealous wife

Prosecutor Tim Preston had argued that Rajini was a jealous, possessive wife who wanted to hurt her husband because she suspected he was having an affair. He said she told a neighbour, as their house burnt down, that she had wanted to disfigure her husband’s penis so no other woman would want to look at it, Sydney Morning Herald reported.