Wife Who Killed Husband With A Hammer After Decades of Abuse Wins Murder Conviction Appeal

A woman who killed her husband in a hammer attack has won an appeal against her murder conviction after arguing she acted as the result of decades of abuse. Georgina Challen, 65, known as Sally, said she killed her husband Richard, 61, at their home in Surrey in August 2010 after 40 years of being controlled and humiliated by him.She was jailed for life in 2011 after being found guilty of his murder, but today had her conviction overturned in a landmark case on the basis of ‘coercive control’. Her lawyers had asked the Court of Appeal to substitute a manslaughter verdict but Lady Justice Hallett refused the substitution and ordered Challen to face a retrial for murder. Challen, 65, attended the appeal via video link from Bronzefield prison in Ashford, Surrey, where she is serving her life sentence.She was visibly emotional as she was told the outcome as relatives and supporters could be heard clapping and cheering in the public gallery. Lady Justice Hallett, sitting with Mr Justice Sweeney and Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb, said: ‘The Court of Appeal heard that, in the opinion of a consultant forensic psychiatrist, the appellant was suffering from two mental disorders at the time of the killing. ‘This evidence was not available at the time of the trial and and the court quashed the conviction and ordered a retrial.’Her barrister, Clare Wade QC, told the court today that, because it was not understood at the time, the issue of coercive control was ‘not sufficiently marshalled and not sufficiently analysed’ for the argument that was being run in Challen’s defence. She said: ‘Our understanding of coercive control has developed since the appellant trial. ‘It wasn’t known about at the time of the trial and it wasn’t fully appreciated and, because of that, the facts weren’t presented in a way that was consistent with coercive control.’ She said the theory of coercive control explains how behaviours are used to abuse people in relationships and ‘shifts the emphasis away from physical harm’. The barrister also said forensic psychiatrist Dr Gwen Adshead, who saw Challen in prison in 2015 after she suffered a manic episode, had concluded she was suffering from two mental disorders at the time of the killing. Dr Adshead believed these were ‘suppressed’ by the coercive control operating within the marriage. Scores of demonstrators attended the hearing, which ran over two days, following a high-profile campaign by Challen’s sons David, 31, and James, 35. Speaking before the hearing, David Challen said: ‘This affects not just our mother but thousands of victims who don’t have a voice, both men and women. ‘Me and my brother have spoken out, not just for our parents but for other victims too.’Photo Credit: Getty

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