A man accused of murdering his wife by setting her on fire said it was his prerogative to hit her if he wanted, a Sydney jury has been told.
Kulwinder Singh, 41, has pleaded not guilty in the NSW Supreme Court to murdering Parwinder Kaur, 32, on December 2, 2013, at their Rouse Hill home.
Her brother, Sukhvinder Singh, on Monday told the jury of an occasion in 2012 when she and her husband were arguing about her wanting to put some of her pay in her own bank account.
They both stood up and his brother-in-law raised his hand and was about to assault her, he said.
"I said: 'No, you cannot do this. This is my house'," Mr Singh said.
But his brother-in-law replied "no, you can't interfere", saying it was "his prerogative if he wanted to hit her or do whatever he wanted to her".
Mr Singh said he opened the door and told his brother-in-law to leave.
"He said to me: 'I will fix you up and get you thrown out of Australia'."
The petrol-fuelled blaze which killed Ms Kaur caused burns to 90 per cent of her body.
The Crown alleges Singh was responsible for her death, while he told police "she did it to herself" when he was upstairs in their bedroom.
Sukhvinder Singh broke down as he told the jury his sister "was the strongest amongst our family".
She had never told him she wanted to harm or kill herself, he said.
The trial continues.
Australian Associated Press
