A WOMAN who killed her husband after suffering years of domestic abuse was yesterday sentenced to four years in prison at the Chongming County People’s Court.

Prosecutors said Shi Meili, 56, from Chongming, admitted to attacking her husband, Zhang Huichang, with a hammer as he slept on May 20.

The court was told the woman had acted out of desperation following years of abuse. The previous evening she had been beaten twice by Zhang following an argument over cigarettes.

After striking her husband on the head, Shi woke up her son and told him to call an ambulance. Zhang was rushed to the hospital but died from his injuries, and Shi gave herself in to police.

The court said the sentence reflected the fact that Shi was a long-term victim, a claim supported by the calls for leniency from more than 100 of her neighbors.