February 28, 2019
A woman who bludgeoned her husband to death has won an appeal against her murder conviction in a landmark ruling.
Sally Challen wins appeal against murder conviction in landmark ruling
Georgina 'Sally' Challen, 65, was fighting to be released from prison today, hoping to get her conviction downgraded to manslaughter on the grounds that her husband, Richard, subjected her to decades of coercive and controlling behaviour in their 31-year marriage, which impacted her mental state.
But, in a partial win for Mrs Challen, Justice Lady Heather Hallett ordered a retrial, meaning she won't be immediately released.
The judge told the courtroom: "The Court of Appeal heard in the opinion of a consultant forensic psychiatrist the appellant was suffering from two mental disorders at the time of the opinion, this evidence was not available at the original trial.
"The court quashed the conviction and ordered a retrial."
Sally cried and hugged her prison officer while her two sons cried with relief.
Sally Challen wins appeal against murder conviction in landmark ruling
The historic decision was handed down in a packed courtroom on Thursday afternoon, eight years after Mrs Challen was convicted of murder at Guildford Crown Court in June 2011, in a trial that painted her as a "jealous spouse".
She was sentenced to 22 years, decreased to 18 on appeal.
A new understanding of the events that led to Mr Challen's death surfaced in 2015, when coercive control was criminalised as a form of domestic abuse.
Eight years after her conviction, the court heard Mrs Challen had been bullied, isolated from friends and family, and 'gaslighted', a form of abuse in which perpetrators manipulate victims into questioning their sanity. Mr Challen, it was claimed, cheated on Mrs Challen and lied to her, leading her to attempt suicide more than once. On one occasion, he raped her 'as a punishment'.
The Court of Appeal accepted new evidence from Dr Gwen Adshead that Mrs Challen had bipolar and a dependent personality disorder that was triggered by the abuse.
But did not downgrade the conviction to manslaughter as the family had hoped. She now faces an anxious wait to see whether or not she will be freed before the retrial as judges consider bailing her.
At the second day of the appeal hearing, which started Wednesday, close to 50 supporters filled the benches in the courtroom, a reflection of the public attention on the case, which many see as a test of the way courts treat coercive control.
For those on Mrs Challen's side, the case was a chance for justice for their abused mother and sister. But the court stressed the argument wasn't just about coercive control, which doesn't amount to a defence.
"As you know this case is received greatly in the public attention and there are people out there who think it’s only about coercive control, but it’s not," said Justice Lady Heather Hallett. “It's about psychiatric conditions that were undiagnosed at the time."
She continued: "We can’t just say if you’re a victim of coercive control that gives you a defence, it doesn’t. To raise it to provocation you’ve got to have something more."
Supporters of Mrs Challen - formerly an office manager at the Police Federation - were tense and let out an audible groan when Caroline Carberry, QC for the Crown Prosecution Service, said a trip to Wisley Gardens and the cinema in the lead up to the killing were evidence that she was not suffering from a mental disorder.
Lady Hallett scolded the courtroom: "I appreciate people are very interested in these proceedings. I don't want to have to clear the court, but I promise you I shall."
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Olivia Munn Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Double Mastectomy Procedure | E! News
March 13, 2024
kUaEV1Kd3S0
Travis Kelce Shares Details From His Trip to Singapore With Taylor Swift | E! News
March 13, 2024
3YXi-Dgf4eg
Kate Middleton VIRAL Photo: Agency Addresses Photoshop Claims | E! News
March 13, 2024
S4VkO0TpkCY
Da'Vine Joy Randolph Plays 'Smash or Pass' With Iconic Moments From Her Career
March 13, 2024
vkPdJEF2BX4
Jean Smart Wears a Hotel Bathrobe to Present an Award to Hannah Einbinder l Power of Comedy SxSW
March 12, 2024
Bw7uVEYQev4
Lenny Kravitz Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 12, 2024
MlWq8BcnwhE
Dak Prescott Extortion Plot & Steph Curry for President? | TMZ Sports Full Ep - 3/12/24
March 13, 2024
jHFsrjs7OFY
A Japanese space rocket blew up after takeoff Tuesday, turning the sky into a fireball of smoke.
March 13, 2024
YkfJ3Qg8B7c
#KimKardashian and #BiancaCensori hung out at #KanyeWest's listening party Tuesday night!
March 13, 2024
EfwLLq6bx9k
‘Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond denies using Ozempic to lose 60 pounds
March 13, 2024
Omfjk1AlZ3A
Chrissy Teigen reveals her ‘boob lift scars’ in daring dress at Jay-Z & Beyoncé’s Oscars 2024 party
March 13, 2024
VxZ2qXAlpmU
Zoë Kravitz pokes fun at dad Lenny Kravitz's style during Hollywood Walk of Fame speech
March 13, 2024
j3-lcFu_1sQ
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
SC Freiburg - Bayer Leverkusen
17
Mar
USA: Major League Soccer
Atlanta United - Orlando City
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
West Ham United - Aston Villa
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Rayo Vallecano - Real Betis
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Championship
Leeds - Millwall
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Las Palmas - Almeria
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Villarreal - Valencia
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Sevilla - Celta Vigo
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
11
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Chelsea - Newcastle United
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Liverpool - Manchester City
10
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Real Madrid - Celta Vigo
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Aston Villa - Tottenham Hotspur
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Atalanta
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Fiorentina - Roma
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
AC Milan - Empoli
09
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Werder Bremen - Borussia Dortmund
09
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Arsenal - Brentford
09
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Bologna - Inter Milan
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.