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A wife has been arrested and left in police cells for 17 hours before being charged with 'controlling behaviour' because she asked her husband to help around the house.

Valerie Sanders, 58, says she was arrested after asking husband Michael, 58, to spend less time at the gym and more time cleaning their home.

Valerie says she left notes for Michael asking him to do chores until four police vans arrived at her door last April.

Coercive or controlling behaviour became a crime in 2015 to help fight domestic abuse. Charges were dropped this week minutes before Valerie was die to stand trial.

Valerie told The Sun she's had "14 months of hell" and thinks "it's outrageous this ever got to court".

Michael said: “I’m not sure if she should have gone to court or not. That was not my decision – but she was controlling. She was constantly on at me.

“She used to leave the vacuum out or the polish and wanted me to clean every day because of the dogs.”

The couple met in 2012 and married in 2014.

Valerie says Michael became obsessed with bodybuilding. She said: “We stopped going out for meals. I was working and he was at the gym from early in the morning until late at night. I just didn’t see him.

"He started to do bodybuilding competitions. It wasn't attractive. It was like cuddling an ironing board. He started to take Viagra, blaming the steroids.

"But when he took the tablets it made him sniffy and snotty so I refused to sleep with him."

Police were called to their home in April 2018 after Jobcentre staff noticed Michael's mood had changed and he blamed it on his home life.

Valerie said: "I'd leave a note asking him to vacuum parts of the house and clean the patio doors. We have two miniature dachshunds. But he would spend four hours cleaning his car - so of course I complained.

"Surely it isn't controlling behaviour otherwise every married couple would be in court?"

The couple are getting divorced.

The CPS said: “We prosecute cases where there is sufficient evidence of coercive and controlling behaviour. In this case, after a key witness decided to no longer support the prosecution, we concluded there was no longer sufficient evidence.”