Celebrity auctioneer Charles Hanson unanimously cleared allegations of forced control and assault from his wife.
The trial heard allegations that Hanson, 46, placed Rebecca Hanson in a head lock after a baby she was pregnant, later lost, repeatedly “catched” her, locked her in a hotel room, pushed her and grabbed her as she tried to snatch her phone.
Charles Hanson denied allegations of controlled or forced conduct between 2015 and 2023, the attack caused actual physical injury and attacked through assault.
Experts on TV shows bargaining and antique road trips told Derby Crown Court that he was “almost a slave” and that his wife had him “beaten and broken people” by controlling him.
The prosecution had previously said WhatsApp messages sent by the defendant to his wife (now 41 years old) constituted a “set of confessions” of the alleged charges.
The information, including Hanson’s promise to never “finger” to his wife again, royal counsel Stephen Kemp said in a speech to jurors on Wednesday, and had a clear understanding of the couple’s relationship.
Auctioneer’s attorney Sasha Wass KC had previously told the trial that Hanson “is not controlled in any sense” but rather felt unstable and dissatisfied with her husband’s commitment to work before his marriage “crashed” and “feeling dissatisfied and difficult to complete.”
Wass asked the jury to consider whether the incident involving the alleged headlock was just a hug, a “real incident” that Rebecca Hanson twisted to “establish a false case against her husband.”
On Friday, the jury’s foreman returned to acquittal of compulsory and controlled conduct charges, assaulting caused actual physical injury and assaulted after a three-week trial.
Celebrity auctioneer’s parents sat in a public gallery, crying and hugging their son after being discharged from the dock.
Hansen told reporters outside the court: “A year and a half later, the truth finally came out, and I’m very happy. It’s a torture period, and what I want now is to readjust what’s tortured like this.”
