Family joy as killer Sally Challen is released on bail
Woman who bludgeoned ‘abusive’ husband to death sheds tears as landmark ruling sets up July retrial
MEMBERS of Sally Challen’s family say they are “over the moon” as she returned home last night after spending eight years in jail. Mrs Challen, 65, was jailed in 2011 for bludgeoning to death her husband, Richard, 61, after allegedly suffering years of abuse, control and humiliation.
She had always denied murdering the car dealer but was jailed for 22 years, later reduced by four years upon appeal. Via video link from HMP Bronzefield at the Old Bailey yesterday, Mrs Challen was seen in tears as Mr Justice Edis bailed her ahead of a retrial in July. She had earlier pleaded “not guilty to murder but guilty to manslaughter”.
Outside court, the family celebrated, passing round a phone so Mrs Challen could speak and share the news. David Challen, her son who was 32 on Monday, said it was the “best take-home gift ever”. Last night Mrs Challen was at her son’s home in Essex after being granted conditional bail ahead of a retrial, saying she was looking forward to “sleep and a comfortable bed”.
They planned to order a takeaway and have a quiet night. “Indian or Chinese,” said Mrs Challen. “Or both.”
The court had intended her to be released this afternoon but the prison agreed upon an early release.
“We all rushed to pick her up after court,” said David. “I’ll have the chance to take her out for a meal and pay. I’ve never done that in my life.” Her eldest son James, 35, and his partner, Jen Turney, 33, are expecting their first baby. Chris Jenney, Mrs Challen’s brother, said the family was “over the moon” at her release.
Last month Mrs Challen won a landmark ruling overturning her conviction and ordering a retrial. The court heard that diminished responsibility will form part of her defence at retrial. The Crown Prosecution Service is refusing to accept a manslaughter plea: to accept it could see Mrs Challen freed because of time already served. She appealed against her conviction after a 2015 change in the law recognised psychological manipulation – or coercive control – as a form of domestic abuse and a crime. It was the first time the Court of Appeal had heard argument about coercive control in the context of a murder conviction challenge.
Her retrial begins on July 1 at the Old Bailey. She and her husband had been married for 31 years when she struck him on the head 20 times with a hammer in the kitchen of their Surrey home on Aug 14, 2010.