FREE AT LAST
Wife who killed abusive husband sobs as she is freed on bail ahead of retrial
Sally Challen, 65, battered partner Richard, 61, to death at their £1m Surrey home in 2010 after suffering 40 years of abuse and 'coercive control'
A WIFE who bludgeoned her abusive husband to death with a hammer wept as she was today freed on bail ahead of a retrial - after spending seven years in jail.
Sally Challen, 65, was caged for life after admitting she battered "abusive" partner Richard, 61, to death at their £1m Surrey home in 2010.
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She had pleaded not guilty to murder but was convicted after a trial and caged for life at Guildford Crown Court in 2011.
Her murder conviction was later quashed but she now faces a retrial ordered at the Court of Appeal in London in February in light of fresh evidence.
Challen today wept as she was granted conditional bail at the Old Bailey - meaning she will be freed from jail on Saturday at midday.
Her two sons, David and James, were also emotional as Mr Justice Edis made the ruling as he set a provisional trial date on July 1.
'COERCIVE CONTROL'
Challen, who has served seven years of a 22-year minimum sentence, was portrayed at her first trial as a jealous wife who battered Richard to death because she believed he was having an affair.
But the Court of Appeal heard she had suffered 40 years of being controlled and humiliated by her car dealer husband.
Evidence relating to Challen's state of mind at the time of the killing and the issue of "coercive control" was also raised - leading to the murder conviction being struck off.
The mum has received a wealth of support from well-wishers - with more than 50 people turning up to the Court of Appeal.
Speaking at the time, Challen's son David, 31, said the verdict gave his mum a "shot at the freedom she has never had since she was 15", when she met her future husband.
'SHOT AT FREEDOM'
He added: "It's an amazing moment. The courts have decided that this case needs to be looked at again, as we have always said [it should be] as a family.
"The abuse our mother suffered was never recognised properly and her mental condition was not taken into account.
"We get another shot at our story to be heard and the events that led to our father's death to be heard and for our mother to have a right shot at freedom.
"A freedom she has never had since the age of 15."
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Son of mum who killed his father with a hammer says his mother was let down by society
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