The Supreme Court on Wednesday heard the appeal of a former military officer who killed his wife before burning the body inside a water tank in the capital in 2015. The man was handed a 30-year prison sentence by the Appeal Court.

Song Touch, 48, told the judge that on November 12, 2015, he made a call to his 34-year-old wife Tim Sophea but she didn’t answer. Later in the evening she returned home and asked him to open the front gate.

When Touch asked Sophea why she didn’t pick up her phone earlier, he claims that she said she had been sleeping with her lover.

Touch claims he then attacked her with an axe and killed her. After hiding the body in the home’s water tank, he slept at a guesthouse before returning the next day and burning the body with gasoline.

“I complained to the Supreme Court because I was not happy with the charge of premeditated murder. If I had planned it in advance, I would not have killed her in my house.

“After killing her, I told her siblings and godsister to organise the funeral because I had killed her unintentionally,” Touch said.

Citing evidence from the authorities, Judge Kim Sathavy said it appeared that the murder had, in fact, been premeditated.

However, Touch’s defence lawyer claimed the attack occurred during an argument.

The Supreme Court will announce its verdict on September 5.