Canadian court halves prison sentence of woman who killed abusive husband

Helen Naslund was originally sentenced to 18 years, one of the longest in a case of an abused woman killing her partner

A Canadian court has halved the sentence of a woman who killed her husband, revisiting a controversial case that revealed the legal system's outdated thinking" of the realities of domestic abuse.

In a 2-1 ruling released on Wednesday, Alberta's court of appeal determined that Helen Naslund's 18-year sentence should be reduced to nine years.

In the US, the domestic violence hotline is 1-800-799-SAFE (7233). In the UK, call the national domestic abuse helpline on 0808 2000 247, or visit Women's Aid. In Australia, the national family violence counselling service is on 1800 737 732. Other international helplines may be found via www.befrienders.org