Emma Humphreys
Emma Clare Humphreys (30 October 1967 – 11 July 1998) was a Welsh woman who was imprisoned in England in December 1985 at Her Majesty's pleasure, after being convicted of the murder of her violent 33-year-old boyfriend and pimp, Trevor Armitage.
Emma Humphreys | |
|---|---|
Left to right: Harriet Wistrich (with flowers) and Julie Bindel of Justice for Women, with Emma Humphreys (white dress) outside the Old Bailey, London, after Humphreys' release, 7 July 1995. | |
| Born | Emma Clare Humphreys 30 October 1967 |
| Died | 11 July 1998 (aged 30) |
| Cause of death | Death by misadventure, overdose of chloral hydrate |
| Nationality | British |
| Criminal charge(s) | Murder of her boyfriend and pimp, Trevor Armitage |
| Criminal penalty | Convicted on 4 December 1985 and sentenced to life |
| Criminal status | Reduced to manslaughter on 7 July 1995, freed for time served |
Aged 17 when convicted, Humphreys spent a decade in prison before winning an appeal against the conviction, on 7 July 1995, on the grounds of long-term provocation. The Court of Appeal reduced the conviction to manslaughter, and she was released immediately. The success of the appeal was significant because it supported the argument that courts should take long-term issues such as "battered woman syndrome" into account when considering a defence of provocation. Humphreys was assisted in her defence by Justice for Women, a feminist law-reform group founded in 1991 by Julie Bindel and Harriet Wistrich.
Three years after her release, Humphreys died, aged 30, of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs at her flat in Holloway, North London.