Sara Thornton case
Encyclopedia
The Sara Thornton case concerns that of British woman Sara Thornton who was sentenced to life imprisonment
after being convicted of the 1989 murder
of her violent and alcoholic husband. Thornton never denied the killing, but claimed it had been an accident during a row. The prosecution at her trial argued that she had carried out the act for financial gain, and she was found guilty of murder. The case became a cause célèbre
among women's groups, and ignited a political debate on how the courts should deal with the issue of domestic violence
. At a retrial in 1996 Thornton was found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter
and freed from custody.
due to reasons of diminished responsibility
, claiming that she had stabbed Malcolm accidentally following a row as he lay drunk on the sofa. The court heard that the police had been called to the house in Atherstone
, Warwickshire
on several occasions when Thornton was being assaulted by her husband. A representative from Alcoholics Anonymous
saw Malcolm punch his wife on one occasion, while a neighbour spoke of how Sara Thornton had been beaten "black and blue" to the point where she became unconscious and required hospital treatment. The prosecution claimed that Thornton was a "pathological liar" who had carried out the killing for financial gain, and a jury convicted her of murder. Sentencing her to life imprisonment, the judge told Thornton that she could have walked out of the house or gone upstairs.
Thornton appealed the conviction, but it was rejected in 1991. The original trial had been largely ignored by the media, but Thornton's case was taken up by women's groups who were pressing for a change in the way cases of domestic violence are dealt with by the courts. Following a high-profile campaign for a retrial, Thornton was eventually granted leave to appeal. At a hearing at the Court of Appeal in December 1995, lawyers argued she was a victim of "battered woman syndrome" as a result of her husband's repeated violence, something which had resulted in her losing control and killing him. Her murder conviction was quashed, and a retrial ordered for the following year.
Thornton faced her second trial in May 1996, and the twelve day hearing took place at Oxford Crown Court. The prosecution presented evidence that Thornton had talked of killing her husband to a work colleague, but psychiatrists successfully argued that Thornton suffered from dissociation
, - a personality disorder that causes an individual to react inappropriately to events. She was convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to five years imprisonment. However, she was released from custody as a result of time already served. Speaking shortly afterwards, Thornton said that she believed her sentence was fair. "I am not saying that every woman should be sent to prison, but for me it was fair. I took a life at the end of the day."
Despite the high-profile campaign, the verdict at Thornton's trial did little to resolve the issue of how the courts should deal with such cases. However, in 2008 the Labour Government of Gordon Brown
put forward proposals to look at the issue as part of a planned reform of the laws governing murder.
Life imprisonment
Life imprisonment is a sentence of imprisonment for a serious crime under which the convicted person is to remain in jail for the rest of his or her life...
after being convicted of the 1989 murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
of her violent and alcoholic husband. Thornton never denied the killing, but claimed it had been an accident during a row. The prosecution at her trial argued that she had carried out the act for financial gain, and she was found guilty of murder. The case became a cause célèbre
Cause célèbre
A is an issue or incident arousing widespread controversy, outside campaigning and heated public debate. The term is particularly used in connection with celebrated legal cases. It is a French phrase in common English use...
among women's groups, and ignited a political debate on how the courts should deal with the issue of domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
. At a retrial in 1996 Thornton was found guilty of the lesser charge of manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
and freed from custody.
The case
Malcolm Thornton died in hospital after he was stabbed at the home he shared with his wife Sara on 12 June 1989 following an argument. At her trial in 1990, Sara Thornton pleaded guilty to manslaughterManslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
due to reasons of diminished responsibility
Diminished responsibility
In criminal law, diminished responsibility is a potential defense by excuse by which defendants argue that although they broke the law, they should not be held fully criminally liable for doing so, as their mental functions were "diminished" or impaired. The defense's acceptance in American...
, claiming that she had stabbed Malcolm accidentally following a row as he lay drunk on the sofa. The court heard that the police had been called to the house in Atherstone
Atherstone
Atherstone is a town in Warwickshire, England. The town is located near the northernmost tip of Warwickshire, close to the border with Staffordshire and Leicestershire and is the administrative headquarters of the borough of North Warwickshire.-History:...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
on several occasions when Thornton was being assaulted by her husband. A representative from Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
saw Malcolm punch his wife on one occasion, while a neighbour spoke of how Sara Thornton had been beaten "black and blue" to the point where she became unconscious and required hospital treatment. The prosecution claimed that Thornton was a "pathological liar" who had carried out the killing for financial gain, and a jury convicted her of murder. Sentencing her to life imprisonment, the judge told Thornton that she could have walked out of the house or gone upstairs.
Thornton appealed the conviction, but it was rejected in 1991. The original trial had been largely ignored by the media, but Thornton's case was taken up by women's groups who were pressing for a change in the way cases of domestic violence are dealt with by the courts. Following a high-profile campaign for a retrial, Thornton was eventually granted leave to appeal. At a hearing at the Court of Appeal in December 1995, lawyers argued she was a victim of "battered woman syndrome" as a result of her husband's repeated violence, something which had resulted in her losing control and killing him. Her murder conviction was quashed, and a retrial ordered for the following year.
Thornton faced her second trial in May 1996, and the twelve day hearing took place at Oxford Crown Court. The prosecution presented evidence that Thornton had talked of killing her husband to a work colleague, but psychiatrists successfully argued that Thornton suffered from dissociation
Dissociation
Dissociation is an altered state of consciousness characterized by partial or complete disruption of the normal integration of a person’s normal conscious or psychological functioning. Dissociation is most commonly experienced as a subjective perception of one's consciousness being detached from...
, - a personality disorder that causes an individual to react inappropriately to events. She was convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to five years imprisonment. However, she was released from custody as a result of time already served. Speaking shortly afterwards, Thornton said that she believed her sentence was fair. "I am not saying that every woman should be sent to prison, but for me it was fair. I took a life at the end of the day."
Despite the high-profile campaign, the verdict at Thornton's trial did little to resolve the issue of how the courts should deal with such cases. However, in 2008 the Labour Government of Gordon Brown
Brown Ministry
Gordon Brown took office as Prime Minister on 27 June 2007 and formed his Government. It ended, upon his resignation, on 11 May 2010. In his inaugural cabinet Brown appointed the UKs first female Home Secretary Jacqui Smith....
put forward proposals to look at the issue as part of a planned reform of the laws governing murder.