TWO British nurses facing murder charges in Saudi Arabia have admitted killing a colleague for "personal motives", the state run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported a senior police official as claiming.
Ms Lucille McLauchlan (31), of Dundee, and Ms Deborah Parry (41), from the Midlands, "spent a late evening with the Australian victim", Ms Yvonne Gilford (55), on the night of the murder, SPA quoted the police official as saying.
"A row broke out concerning personal motives between the victim and Deborah, prompting the latter to resort to violence and to stab her. Lucille helped finish her off by choking her to death," the police official alleged.
Ms McLauchlan and Ms Parry "clearly admitted" this version and "reconstituted the crime" on the site of the murder at the King Fahd, Military Medical Complex in Dhahran, he charged.
"Their testimonies were legally certified at the Khobar tribunal by three judges," he said, without identifying them.
The police official did not give details concerning the arrest of the British nurses but said the body of the Australian woman was found dead on December 12th, one day after her murder.
The Saudi Arabian lawyer hired by Ms McLauchlan and Ms Parry to help them prepare for the impending trial told the London based Arab daily, Al Hayat, that "Islamic sharia (law) guarantees justice for both women.
Mr Salah al Hujeilan, described by Al Hayat as "one of the most eminent Saudi lawyers", said he took on the case because of long standing ties with the British embassy in Saudi Arabia.
He said yesterday he would make his first visit to the jailed women in three days.
The British nurses face the death penalty if found guilty of premeditated murder unless Ms Gilford's family decides to grant them clemency, in exchange for so called "blood money" compensation, which they may also waive.
If clemency is granted, the pair face up to five years imprisonment each.
Earlier this week Al Hayat reported that the British nurses were arrested after allegedly using the victim's automatic teller machine card to withdraw cash, and allegedly confessing to the crime. The two were arrested and jailed in the nearby city of Dammam on December 20th, nine days after Ms Gilford was found stabbed and, bludgeoned to death.