Wife who set husband's genitals alight on murder charge
Gavin Lower
From: The Australian
January 06, 2009 12:00AM
A MOTHER of three accused of murdering her husband by setting his genitals alight allegedly told neighbours she was a "jealous wife" who had learned he was having an affair, a court heard yesterday.
Rajini Narayan, 44, appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court where she faced an upgraded charge of murder after her husband, Satish Narayan, died on December 27 from his injuries after being burned in his home.
Crown prosecutor Lucy Boord, opposing bail , told the court it was alleged Ms Narayan doused her husband's genitals with petrol as he slept in their Unley home and set him alight about 5.30am on December 7.
It is believed a blaze erupted after Mr Narayan jumped out of bed and knocked over a bottle of petrol, which spread to a nearby property and caused about $1 million damage.
Ms Narayan and the couple's three children escaped their burning home unharmed
Ms Boord said it was alleged that Ms Narayan was heard outside the house saying that her husband loved another woman and was having an affair.
It was alleged Ms Narayan said: "His penis should belong to me. I wanted to burn his penis so it didn't belong to anyone else."
She is also alleged to have said "it was just his penis I wanted to burn" and that she did not mean for "anything like this" to happen. She allegedly said that her husband "hugs" the other woman.
Mr Narayan suffered burns to 85 per cent of his body and died in the Royal Adelaide Hospital 20 days after the fire.
Ms Narayan was originally charged with causing serious harm to her husband, arson and three counts of endangering life. The aggravated causing serious harm charge was upgraded to murder after Mr Narayan died.
It is understood the Narayan family arrived in Adelaide several months ago from Canberra
Ms Narayan, who appeared in the dock with her back to the public gallery during the short bail hearing, has yet to enter a plea to the charges.
Her bail application was adjourned until Friday.
Penis burning wife Rajini Narayan found guilty of manslaughter
By Sean Fewster, Court Reporter
From: AdelaideNow
October 13, 2010 4:43PM
A DEVOTED wife who fatally set her husband alight while trying to burn a mark on his penis has been acquitted of murder.
After deliberating for nine hours over two days, a Supreme Court jury today found Rajini Narayan not guilty, by majority verdict, of murder.
They instead ruled her crime - throwing petrol and a lit candle onto the back of her husband, Satish - was manslaughter.
Narayan - who has long maintained she had no intention to kill Satish - showed little reaction to the verdict.
Her lawyers told the court she had offered, prior to trial, to plead guilty to manslaughter.
Satish died 20 days after his wife confronted him about the suspected affair in their Unley home in December 2008.
Prosecutors alleged Narayan threw petrol and a candle on her husband's back, setting him and the house alight.
They said she was motivated by the affair and two decades of beatings administered by Satish.
Giving evidence in her defence, Narayan denied those claims.
"I did not like to be beaten (but) I told myself I had to be better, I have to try harder," she said.
"I deserved it because, in my mind, I was not the perfect wife for my perfect husband... I idolised him, he was my hero.
"I did not speak back to him because you do not fight with your god."
Narayan compared her marriage to the Hindu religious tale of Lord Ram and Sita.
In the story, Sita is kidnapped by a demon king - after rescuing her, Lord Ram ensues her purity by having her walk through fire.
After a series of emails and letters convinced her Satish was having an affair, she decided to purify her husband with fire.
"A bizarre idea came to me... I would use a candle to burn the tip of his penis," she said.
"It would be like circumcision, or just like he placed that red dot on my forehead at our wedding.
"It was like I had all the powers of the goddess to save my husband, my lord... it did not occur to me that it was going to be dangerous."
She denied having any intent to hurt him, but said she "snapped" when he called her a "fat, dumb bitch".
"I felt everything drain out of me... the love, it wasn't there in that instant," she said.
Today, Justice John Sulan remanded Narayan on continuing bail for sentencing submissions next month.
As she left the dock, Narayan hugged her solicitor and her daughters - she declined to comment outside court.
I would hate to think what would happen to the poor bloke if she did not adore him "like a god". As it is she tried to rob him of the family jewels and ended up killing him. Such love and devotion is certainly "divine"!
I would hate to think what would happen to the poor bloke if she did not adore him "like a god". As it is she tried to rob him of the family jewels and ended up killing him. Such love and devotion is certainly "divine"!
