Battered wife Sally Stickland ran over husband with car Published duration 9 December 2013

media caption Sally Stickland used her car "as a weapon" when she drove into her husband of 50 years on 18 May, a court heard

A woman who ran over her husband after suffering years of domestic violence has been given a suspended prison term.

Sally Stickland, 72, used her car "as a weapon" when she drove into her husband of 50 years on 18 May, a court heard.

John Stickland, 73, was found on a verge in Langley, near Southampton, with serious head injuries.

Sally Stickland admitted causing grievous bodily harm and was given an 18-month sentence, suspended for two years. The couple are still together.

Kicked in head

Southampton Crown Court heard there was a history of domestic violence and she occasionally retaliated against her husband.

Judge Gary Burrell made reference to an assault in 2004, when Mrs Stickland was kicked in the head by her husband.

He also mentioned a 2011 attack, when she was held by the throat by Mr Stickland until she began to lose consciousness.

image caption John Stickland was found by passers-by on a grass verge in West Common with serious head injuries

Sally Stickland, of West Common, Langley, was suffering from a type of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sometimes called battered wife syndrome, when she ran over her husband, the court heard.

The judge said Stickland had used her car "as a weapon", hitting her husband from behind as he walked along the road.

He added that she "so easily [could] have killed him".

At a previous hearing, the prosecution accepted her plea of not guilty to attempted murder and to causing grievous bodily harm with intent, but guilty to causing grievous bodily harm.

'Still love each other'

Solicitor Janet Brownlow said the Stickland family wanted to put the matter behind them and "look to the future".

"The entire family has found the last few months incredibly difficult," she said outside the court after the hearing.

"[They are] still coming to terms with the traumatic circumstances surrounding the incident and everything that has followed.

"The family remain united.

"Mr and Mrs Stickland still love each other deeply and they understand the reasoning behind the judge's sentencing."