On 4 March 2025 at a renewal hearing at the Court of Appeal, Annabel Timan (Doughty Street Chambers) will argue that Amanda O’Shaughnessy’s 2015 murder conviction is unsafe due to new psychiatric evidence supporting the defence of loss of control.
This fresh evidence underscores the years of domestic abuse, sexual violence and coercive control O’Shaughnessy endured - factors that were not fully explored during her trial.
Amanda O’Shaughnessy was convicted in June 2015 and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 14 years for the fatal stabbing of her partner, David Butterworth, on 7 December 2014.
The couple’s relationship was marked by repeated domestic abuse, with police called to their home multiple times - including just weeks before the fatal incident. O’Shaughnessy suffered sustained physical, emotional, and sexual abuse at Butterworth’s hands. However, much of this history was not fully explored at trial.
The Night of the Incident
On the night of 7 December 2014, an argument broke out at the couple’s home in Rainhall, Merseyside. O’Shaughnessy recorded part of the confrontation on her phone, and the jury later heard this evidence in court. After the argument, Butterworth left the house to sleep in his car.
Concerned for his welfare - it was a cold night, and he had a chest infection - O’Shaughnessy invited him back inside. However, once inside, tensions quickly escalated. According to O’Shaughnessy, Butterworth began shouting at her and making cruel accusations about their daughter’s paternity. When she told him to leave, he followed her into the kitchen, grabbed her by the throat, and pinned her against a cupboard.
Fearing for her life, she instinctively defended herself, reaching behind for anything to protect herself. In a moment of panic and desperation, she struck out, later realising she had grabbed a knife. Butterworth managed to walk away before collapsing.
Moments later, O’Shaughnessy made a frantic 999 call, clearly distressed and hysterical. She told the operator that she had been attacked, feared for her life, and acted in self-defence. When taken into custody, medical examinations documented red marks and abrasions on her neck, consistent with her account of being strangled. Despite this, the court ultimately rejected self-defence.
New Evidence Supports Appeal
O’Shaughnessy’s original trial focused on the single act of violence that led to Butterworth’s death, failing to consider the years of abuse, coercive control, and sexual violence she had endured.
A psychiatrist who has since examined O’Shaughnessy diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD. His findings indicate that she was likely suffering from these symptoms at the time of the incident. His report also documents Amanda’s accounts of repeated rape, coercive and controlling behaviour, and emotional degradation by Butterworth - including isolating her from friends, controlling her appearance, and subjecting her to relentless insults.
Additionally, O’Shaughnessy’s social services records - now obtained for the appeal - reveal the significant abuse she suffered as a child, an aspect that was not explored during her trial.
With the fresh psychiatric evidence supporting the defence of loss of control, O’Shaughnessy’s legal team - Nora Talbi (EBR Attridge LLP Solicitors) and Annabel Timan (Doughty Street Chambers) - argue that her conviction is unsafe. They contend that had this evidence been fully considered at trial, it could have significantly altered the jury’s understanding of her actions that night.
O’Shaughnessy’s case highlights broader concerns about how the criminal justice system treats survivors of domestic and sexual violence who act in self-defence. She is one of many women convicted of murder after years of abuse, where the full context of their experiences was not adequately presented in court.
Now, nearly a decade later, Amanda O’Shaughnessy has a chance for justice - and for her story to be heard in full.
Amanda’s appeal is supported by campaign group, Justice for Women, and charity, Centre for Women’s Justice.
ENDS
Notes:
Supporters will be outside the Royal Courts of Justice on 4 March 9.15am-10am
The hearing will take place at the Court of Appeal, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London at 10.30am on 4 March 2025. This is an appeal renewal hearing before three judges.
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