The case of Sally Challen, being heard in the Court of Appeal today and tomorrow could result in a change in the law as well as set a precedent as to how the criminal justice system deals with victims of ‘coercive control’, a criminal offence since 2015. Feminist law reform group Justice for Women, which I co-founded in 1991, is campaigning to overturn Sally’s murder conviction and replace it with one of manslaughter, on the grounds that Sally endured psychological torture at the hands of husband Richard for four decades.

For campaigners against domestic violence, Sally’s has the potential to be a landmark case. It is the first time a court will hear controlling and coercive behaviour being used as a defence in a murder trial. If Sally is successful, it will result in a greater understanding of the seriousness of this type of abuse. It would also be open to others in Sally’s position to rely on evidence of the horrendous effects of psychological abuse.

Coercive control is now the most common form of abuse for which female victims seek help at domestic violence charities. This means that if Sally's appeal fails, numerous other women who suffer this abuse will be failed, too. It is relatively rare for women to kill as a response to domestic abuse, but when they do, they tend to be treated more harshly by the courts than are men who kill a ‘nagging’ or unfaithful wife.