A NEWPORT mother-of-five jailed for stabbing her husband to death after a row has walked free.

Anne-Marie Hayward, aged 53, of Llanthewy Road, had pleaded guilty at Cardiff crown court in May to the manslaughter of her husband John (pictured) on the grounds of diminished responsibility. She was jailed for two years.

Yesterday judges at London's Court of Appeal reduced her sentence to a year with the result that she was free straight away.

Eugene Egan, for Mrs Hayward, told Lord Justice Mance, Mrs Justice Hallett and Judge Peter Openshaw that Hayward's 15-year-old daughter, who is studying for her GCSE exams, was desperate to be reunited with her mother.

He added that the parents of John Hayward had forgiven their daughter-in-law and did not want to see her in custody.

Mr Egan said Hayward, a mother of two boys and three girls, had shown obvious remorse and all the facts added up to "exceptional circumstances" which justified her release.

Lord Justice Mance said he could make no criticism of the original sentence, but the circumstances had now changed and the court was prepared to take the very unusual step of freeing Hayward.

Members of her family, in London for the hearing, broke down in tears on hearing the decision.

Hayward killed her husband after they returned from a night of heavy drinking on November 26 last year.

They had an argument and went home separately. In the kitchen of their home, it was said, Mr Hayward, 51, had begun pushing his wife. She pulled out a ten-inch carving knife to "frighten" him.

Lord Justice Mance said nobody would ever know exactly what happened, but soon afterwards Hayward called the police and when they arrived, said: "I've killed him haven't I? I'll have to live with this for the rest of my life."

The judge added there had been some history of violence in the relationship, but Hayward, who was suffering from depression, would not describe herself as a "battered wife".