UK woman faces death sentence after being charged with murder of husband in Malaysia

British woman Samantha Jones is escorted by police as she arrives at Langkawi Magistrate court in Langkawi, Malaysia. Photos / AP

A British woman has been charged with murdering her husband on the Malaysian holiday island of Langkawi, with her lawyer saying that the suspect felt "overwhelmed".

Samantha Jones, 51, appeared in court on the island accused of killing John William Jones, who was found with a stab wound to the chest in their house earlier this month, the Daily Telegraph reports.

A court official read out the charge of murder, which is punishable with a mandatory sentence of death by hanging in Malaysia, and Jones indicated that she understood it but did not enter a plea because the magistrates court has no jurisdiction to hear the matter, which is being transferred to the High Court.

She is accused of committing the murder in the early hours of October 18. Jones's lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo said that the suspect felt "very, very overwhelmed".

"It is her husband at the end of the day. So she's also grieving for him despite the circumstances of the case," she told reporters outside the magistrates' court.

The British couple had lived for the past 11 years on the jungle-clad island in northwest Malaysia, which attracts millions of tourists to its beaches every year.

Police say Jones is suspected of killing her 62-year-old husband after a row. A bloodstained 30cm knife was found on the floor of their bedroom following her arrest.

She will appear in court again on November 29. Her lawyer said the case was not yet ready for trial as authorities were still getting documentation in order.

Malaysia's new Government has pledged to abolish the death penalty, which is mandatory for several crimes, but lawmakers still have to vote on whether to approve the changes.

At the time of her arrest, local police chief Mohamad Iqbal Ibrahim said: "The couple were believed to have engaged in an argument. The wife then took a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her husband in the chest."

Jones has not given her account.

A motorcycle passes by Langkawi Magistrate court in Langkawi, Malaysia.

Samantha Jones at an earlier court appearance in Kedah, Malaysia.