The obvious question. Why did she stay with him? Some women are their own worst enemies.

And she couldn't just leave him why?

Clear miscarriage. If a man had killed his nagging wife there is no way he would have had charge reduced. As posts above say she could have just left.

We're in deep trouble now if all you need is to be 'at your wit's end' to get away with a calculated, premeditated murder. Yet again - my lovely fellow Scots - you're getting what you voted for. How do you like your Brave New World? Welcome to your future.

Plunged a knife into his throat as he was sleeping? Sounds premeditated to me, she could have packed her case and sought refuge with the many friends who have rallied round since........ but not so much money for a simple mediation or divorce case, eh Donald?

Must agree with the above, why not leave him, she has a job and having paid for a trip to egypt, a good paying one at that. Having said that, she has helped us get rid of another of Scotland's finest so let her walk.

Justice for all not in this case, she could have walked at anytime but didnt but the bleeding hearts will say she was driven to do it. Well so were all thoses who heard the voices telling them to do it so does that mean there is no such thing as murder??

Again, Donald Findlay demonstrates his utter contempt for morality by blaming a murder victim for his own death.

This is an outrageous miscarriage of justice. It creates a precedent, and gives "Carte Blanche" to women wherever they are to murder their husbands/partners just because they were "nagging" them. Even if we are to accept that the woman was the victim of "psychological" abuse, there are plenty organisations and resources that could have helped her deal with it, all the way from Relate, Women's Aid, to Shelter, her GP's, divorce etc. Instead she chose the route of premeditated murder, and because of the "supporting" testimony offered by two other women gets off with a reduced charge. She will be sentenced to a few years in jail, and after spending 2-3 years in prison will be free to go. In the meantime, other women will chose the "nagging" defence as excuse for murder. Had the husband done the same thing (and how many out there have "nagging" and whining wives/partners) he would have been sentenced to life, would be put in prison and the key would have been thrown away. Indeed equal justice (NOT).

Why not leave him? Why did he not leave her?
If he was so dissatisfied with her he could have left at any time but bullies appear to enjoy the hunt.

Some women become so worn down by the constant mental abuse that any vestage of self esteem and energy vanishes. They do not believe they can manage on their own as it has been drummed into them how worthless they are. If you hear that constantly, eventually you believe it.

This woman sounded like she was trying hard to cope eg saving up for a holiday for them both...all that work, just to have him whine about the lager.
Horrible as it is, she probably knived his sleeping throat as it was the only time his tongue was still.

Heather (10), Are you not missing the point? Your own argument is self-contradicting. If, as you say she believed that she could not survive on her own, why then did she kill her husband? Would that not leave her to be on her own?

The points which you seem to fail to accept are: 1) There were alternatives to murder open to her, for 20 years, and she had not chosen to avail herself of any of those. 2) there were many resources to support her during those 20 years, again she chose not to use any of those. 3) this case creates a precedent which will be now used by women to defend the killing of their husbands. 4) the most disturbing element of this judgement is that we are now firmly in the era of "Justice by Gender". The discrimination of the justice system against men is now entrenched from Family Courts to Criminal courts. With this visible sex discrimination against men, and the favouring of women within the justice system, the justice system loses its credibility. This is a sure prescription to social decline, and society's breakdown.

My wife has handed me a note which reads, "I promise never to knife you in your sleep. I want to see the look in your eyes when I do it to you face-to-face!"

Should I worry? Does anyone have Donald Findlay's number??

I have to agree with the comments above regarding the state that an individual (male or female) can be reduced to psychologically as a result of long term abuse. The individual may not have the strength to escape and may also fear the abuser will come after them.

To all you men who think this is a piece of discriminatory nonsense, you clearly have forgotten the ase some 15 years ago or so of the man acquitted of murdering his wife who moved the mustard! Apparently her OCB had driven him to his wits end.

11 Homo Sapiens. I do not believe the arguement was self-contradictory.
I am saying that women who are constantly put down by abusive partners are brain-washed into believing that they would be useless on their own. This thought does not come from the woman but is sown by the abusive partner and fed constantly.
Perhaps it dawned on this lady that she had a modicum of self left and her only way free was to kill him.
She will never be free of this man as she has to live with what happened, before and after the killing.
Re support- do you know how difficult it is to break free of the abuse cycle and seek help? Do you truly?

Justice by gender may have come about for the simple reason that a man is more likely to be the abuser than a woman.

What about the many, many henpecked husbands of this world? Are they now given carte blanche to stab their nagging wives in their sleep? I think NOT! In this current PC daft climate a man will be hung, drawn and quartered if he even dares blink in the direction of a female.

The result of New Labour's legal culture (legislate like it's 1984!!) providing yet another reason to emigrate and leave the country to the baying hounds (formerly known as lawyers)!! Go forth and multiply Mr Blair!!

14 Heather, whilst I understand where you are coming from.

Yes her self esteem/sanity may have been at such a low ebb from living with this curmudgeon however she did hack the mans throat out.

Culpable homicide or manslaughter does fit the bill for this type of crime so the judgement is probably quite fair however (and excuse me if i am putting you down as a woman) the level of drivel in your last post suggests that perhaps you may be "projecting" when it comes to your view of this sad little story.

All sorts of possible reasons why this woman didn't leave. id she have anywhere to go? How many children did she have? Should she have left them, or taken them to - where - a homeless unit?

Another thing. More women are killed by their partners or ex partners than by anybody else. If you are a man, you are less likely to be killed by your partner or ex. than by anybody else. Women are most at risk AFTER they have left, because the men want to punish them for going. Often they say repeatedly things like, "The only way you'll get out of here is in a box." Or ,"If you leave me, I promise you it will be the last thing you do".

And another thing. Constant shouting at you and criticising everything you do is not "nagging and moaning". It's bulying, it's abuse, it's humiliation, and it takes away everything good that you are.

Of course it's wrong to murder someone - whether you call it by that name or by any others used for killing. But 20 years of bullying and intimidation and huniliation, 20 years of having to have sex with somebody who makes you believeyou are worthless, can itself be a form of killing.

Heather fae the hills is right. And some of the attitudes displayed by other contributors are highly suspect. I wouldn't like a friend or dughter of mine to be married to them!

Donald Findlay? The poor victim obviously wasn't a mason!!

Pollock Bain - perhaps if you had a friend or daughter like that you would have taken her in rather than wait 20 years before declaring your knowledge of the abuse.
Of course the guy was a bully to her but is that a reason to die? I agree totally with the others who have said that she had many support mechanisms in place (which have been there for the 20 years and more referred to) to get help before carrying out "her only way free" (Heather)

Murder.

This woman has been found guilty of culpable homicide so its not as if she'd getting away with killing her husband. Its difficult to judge these cases from a newspaper article. The jury heard the whole case and went for culpable homicide. Perhaps the problem is that culpable homicide sentences tend to be relatively short.

I'd be pissed if I couldn't get Tennents either, it's a good argument. They no longer carry it here in the States anymore :(

i think 20 years is a long time to have been abused with out seeking help mabe she had a few drinks and blew here top

I find it interesting how many of those have commented are the first one to say that the drunken teenage bullies should be hung when they commit violent offences but in this instance they think the women is wrong. It sound to me like they are trying to hard to make it appear as though women are in the wrong for defending themselves from abusive husbands, ie, themselves. Sure, she may have been able to get help from someone, but given the fact that the authorities rarely do anything about even the worst of the violent criminals in Scotland why would she think she would be safe if she left?

Cheez, you have to be careful with this. If you give an easy sentence, every man and his opo would be looking at their nagging wives. Everything has to be taken into consideration. In this case, six months in a Majorcan pension without sea views seems to fit the case.

Interesting how unsupportive everyone is of this woman even now. Why should she walk away from her home and life, where is she meant to go? Some refuge? Great, what a happy alternative. She wasn't thinking right, it was out of character. People don't react rationally to torment and bullying. Doesn't mean she has any right to take the life of another. Maybe she thought she was doing him a favour, probably did the neighbours a favour.

It says in the article that she stabbed him during a row -- not in his sleep as some of you have said. This is what the Jury found as well.
The article is written to wind you up. "Nagging" is a word usually used against women & they keep putting mental torture in inverted commas -- as if torture is in question. She was found guilty of culpable homicide -- that's a serious charge.