Murder or manslaughter

I heard about the Sally Challen case and without knowing much I felt she must have been another abused woman that just snapped after perhaps years of mental and physical abuse with the outcome being that she killed her husband before he killed her.
When I watched the documentary it surprised me to see that the family had lived a privileged lifestyle and financially had no problems as do many of the battered woman that flee to refuges so the theory that all domestic crimes are just down to more middle class people is not entirely true.
Sally must have been so co-dependant on him to even think of wanting a reconciliation especially as she had left him and could easily have began a new life.
One of the sons was very emotionally distressed about everything I hope he had the right sort of professional help to come to terms with things.
She's done her time let's hope she can rebuild her life.

bring me up to date on this i dont have a tv. but anyone who kills anyone whether intentionally or not is murder.

No extenuating circumstances then moggie57

To Moggie57
I am not a strict follower of Sally Challen. I believe she done 8 or 9 years in Bronzefield Prison after being found guilty of murdering her husband.

High up people who deal with this sort of thing took on her case and went for a retrial or something to that effect and using new evidence she was set free from prison.
I just happened to be watching the t.v. one evening when the documentary was aired and it was fairly interesting, personally I am not any sort of expert on that sort of thing it could be anyone's guess to the woman's state of mind hope she can lead some sort of life and move on with her sons.

I had sympathy with her before I viewed the documentary and still had some after I had watched it. However, I thought it was premeditated and was murder, though I understand it was because of her mental illness that it became manslaughter. I didn't find her an attractive personality.

She's out, and I for one am glad.

That's all.

Walk a mile in the other woman's shoes before you judge her !!!!

If you haven’t been there, you don’t know how you would react.

Thankyou for pointing that out DavidChallen,
I have another tragic case on my mind when I asked the said question as the case in question involves a whole family.

My dear old mum used to say that two wrongs don't make a right which is no doubt true.
Taking everything into account I don't blame Sally Challen for doing what she did. It probably was murder but I think she and her family have suffered enough. None of the family are unscathed by the sad situation.
What if it had been the other way round? A few men have murdered their wives ('she nagged me, Your Honour' or 'she teased me about my manhood', etc) and have walked away Scott free. Women seem to get heavier sentences for similar crimes.

That's a very valid point about sentencing lovebeigecardigans women are viewed as kind, loving and nurturing so often their acts of violence are viewed more harshly than their male counterparts.

She was abused for years and he treated her dreadfully, but she arranged a meeting with him at the marital home, and she took a hammer. I think therefore it was murder not man slaughter. However I think it’s fair enough after serving 8/9 years that she should be released.

Going equipped after a year apart..... I don’t think so!

If you haven’t been in a mental, verbal or physically abusive relationship, you’re not in a position to comment.
You can be pushed to breaking point. I picked up a carving knife, twice, immediately putting it down. I had two children to think of.

No one can comment if they haven't been there, so please don't make assumptions. I put up with it for 20 years, no relatives and two children. When they got to 14 and 16 I walked out of the door with them and never went back. The best years of my life ruined and gone.

Well said whywhywhy. Like you I got out and, yes, younger years ruined but maybe my best years are now married to a lovely man.

Glad to hear you've met and married a lovely man Granless. Same here. Have a lovely Christmas.

Being comfortably off doesn't mean that there is no domestic abuse, in a way it can make economic abuse easier. Very sadly men do go on to kill, look at the case of Claire and Charlotte Hart, and how the sons Luke and Ryan have gone on to campaign. You are always looking over your shoulder when you have been married to an abusive man, whether or not he was physically or emotionally abusive or both. Out of the blue they can pop up and you wonder what the hell they're going to do. I'd recommend to anyone who had the slightest doubt whether their other half is abusive to do the freedom programme, it helped me see how so many things he'd done were nasty and controlling, that it was abuse, just as much as the violence, it really affects you deep inside even years afterwards, it is helpful to recognise it as abuse so you can start moving on from the years of being told and others being told how horrible you are

I battle with depression every day and it's coming up to 30 years since I got away.

Granless and whywhywhy

Thank you xx

Many thanks to Granless and why why for sharing your own stories.

If you haven't walked in the same shoes as these two brave gransnet posters, or Sally C and others like her, at least do some research before reaching the conclusion that the appeal court and SCs sons got it wrong. If the evidence had been presented at her first trial, if her then legal team had worked as they should have, the conviction would never have been murder. SC was mentally ill at the time she killed her abuser. She must live with her sorrow and her regrets. I hope the continued support of her sons will help her and also, help them.

If you spend years being beaten at some point, its likely the abused will find the strength to turn the tables. He was a hideous human being and justly deserved what he got.

If her husband had been married to me.....he would have been pushing up the daisies a lot earlier.

Physical abuse, sexual abuse nor coercive behaviour justifies the killing of another. However it helps to explain such actions and often justifies a none-custodial sentence, but it would be dangerous to simply ignore such extreme acts.