KOLLAM: The court ruled that the accused in the case of strangling his wife after hitting her on the head with a Coconut Scraper/ Chirava was found guilty. Kollam Additional Sessions Judge Bindu Sudhakaran convicted Ashley Solomon (50) resident of Anitabhavan, Rajagiri, Sasthamcotta. The accused will be sentenced on Monday. The accused, who was a health inspector in the health department, was under suspension following the case.

The incident related to the case took place on October 9, 2018. The murder victim was Ashley's wife Anita Stephen, a government school teacher. Suspecting that Anita was having an affair with someone else, her husband had put her under house arrest. Following this, Anita's male friend filed a habeas corpus petition in high court. Anita was then ordered to appear before the High Court on October 9.

The prosecution's case is that the accused came home that afternoon and hit his wife on the head with a coconut scraper and strangled her with a churidar shawl to ensure her death. The accused who escaped after the crime was arrested by the police on the third day. The court found the accused guilty on the basis of circumstantial and scientific evidence. The main evidence is that the blood of the accused and the murdered Anita was found on the blade of the coconut scraper and on the shawl used for the crime.