A BATTERED wife who stabbed her husband to death with a kitchen knife after she was threatened with a hot iron has been freed from jail.

Mother-of-three Donna Tinker, 32, was granted an early release from a seven-year prison sentence for manslaughter following a decision by the parole board, rubber-stamped by Home Secretary David Blunkett.

She is now hoping to mend bridges with her dead husband's family so her children can enjoy a relationship with them.

Tinker was jailed for life in April 2000 after a jury found her guilty of murdering her husband, Richard, at their home in Norwich Drive, Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

The conviction was quashed in December last year by the Court of Appeal in a landmark case after it was ruled unsafe and replaced with one of manslaughter.

Last night, women's campaigners welcomed news of the release and said it would provide hope for women in a similar situation.

Tinker, whose parents Alan and Margaret are from Tyneside, had been waiting to hear whether she might be let out for good behaviour having served about half of her seven year sentence.

The Northern Echo understands she was released late last month after a stay in Durham Prison, where she was a "model prisoner".

Ruth Bundy, Donna Tinker's solicitor, said her client now regarded the matter as a "closed book", adding: "Things have come full circle and we are all obviously enormously happy about the outcome."

Tinker stabbed her husband with a vegetable knife in June 1999 after he held his arm around her neck and threatened her with a hot iron.

At her trial at Leeds Crown Court, her defence of provocation was rejected after the jury heard that initially she had lied to police.

This was despite evidence of injuries she suffered an hour before the stabbing including a black eye, broken tooth and bruised jaw.

She was convicted of murder, but an appeal was launched with the legal team being led by barrister and Redcar MP Vera Baird.

Mrs Baird said: "Her case provides hope for the small number of women convicted of murder after killing violent partners who may have a valid appeal which might reduce their conviction to manslaughter.

"Donna now needs to drop out of the public eye and concentrate on the most important thing to her - her children - and mending relations with the dead man's family.

"She is very positive about the importance of having the children in touch with both families even in this tragic situation."

She said plans were afoot to ask the Criminal Cases Review Commission to look at any such convictions which might be unsafe.

Supporters said Mrs Tinker was defending herself from a violent and abusive husband, who had beaten her up and was in the process of renewing his assault when she snapped and killed him.

The Court of Appeal said the judge in the initial murder trial had given a "singularly incomplete" summing up to the jury.

It also heard fresh evidence from Mrs Tinker's nine-year-old daughter, Nataleigh, who described via video link how she had seen her mother being threatened with the iron.

News of Mrs Tinker's release comes after the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill, announced in the Queen's Speech, proposed a raft of measures to tackle the problem of abusive partners.