A man accused of killing his wife over a dispute about gambling debts and then blaming it on robbers went on trial for murder at the Shanghai No. 1 Intermediate People's Court yesterday.

After Han Yuchuan killed his wife on March 11, he didn't run away or surrender to police as most killers do, prosecutors said. Instead he called police and said someone had broken into his house and killed her. Han also claimed the thieves made off with 160,000 yuan (US$19,753) in cash. During the days after the murder, Han visited the police every day to offer information he thought might help catch the killer, prosecutors said.

He told police he had won 200,000 yuan in the lottery in February, and suggested someone might have learned about the prize and decided to rob his home. He also gave police a list of people who might have met with his wife.

Police became suspicious of Han because he changed his clothes on the day of the murder but couldn't tell them where he put the clothes he had taken off, the court heard.

The police later learned Han had sent a coat he had worn on March 10 to be washed at a dry cleaners.

"The coat was very dirty and had a large oil stain on it," Lu Sichong, owner of the dry cleaners, told the court.

Han finally confessed to the murder during an interrogation on March 17. He didn't raise any objections when prosecutors laid out their case against him in court.

Han, 40, married Huang Huiqin, who had a 13-year-old daughter, in 2002 after his first marriage fell apart.

Prosecutors said the relationship turned sour soon after when Han became addicted to gambling on soccer matches and lottery tickets. His habit cost him more than 600,000 yuan, including 150,000 yuan his wife had saved before they wed.

"We often quarreled about money. She always urged me to return the money," said Han. Although Han won 200,000 yuan from the lottery earlier this year, that wasn't enough to cover all of his losses. He spent the money opening a fishing gear shop on Jinshajiang Road.

On the night of March 10, the couple began quarreling again about money and Huang continued scolding Han the next morning, the court heard.

"When we were about to go out, my wife pricked me with an umbrella and tried to hit me with a hammer that was near the door," said Han. "I suddenly lost control of myself because I had long felt depressed because of her scolding. I snatched the hammer and hit her over the head with it."

(Shanghai Daily July 27, 2005)