DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The British editor-at-large of a prominent English-language newspaper in Dubai has pleaded not guilty to a premeditated murder charge over his wife's killing.

Gulf News editor Francis Matthew is accused of killing his 62-year-old wife Jane with a hammer after an argument.

The 61-year-old Matthew wore white prison-style clothes to the brief hearing in a Dubai courtroom Wednesday. He looked thin and somber.

On July 3, Dubai police say they were called to Matthew's home, where they found his wife dead. Police say Matthew initially said his wife had been assaulted by robbers, but later confessed to the slaying.

Matthew and his wife were prominent members of the United Arab Emirates' large British expatriate population. The slaying has shocked many here.