Celebrity auctioneer Charles Hanson has been unanimously cleared of all charges of coercive control and assault brought by his wife, Rebecca Hanson. The verdict was delivered on Friday at Derby Crown Court after a three-week trial.
The prosecution alleged that Hanson, 46, put his wife in a headlock while she was pregnant with a child she later lost, repeatedly grabbed her, locked her in a hotel room, and pushed and scratched her during a dispute over a mobile phone. These incidents were said to have occurred between 2015 and 2023.
Hanson, known for his appearances on Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip, denied the charges. His defence argued that he was “almost a slave” to his wife, who left him “a beaten and broken man” through her controlling behaviour. Defence counsel Sasha Wass KC suggested that Rebecca Hanson had distorted events to build a false case.
The jury found Hanson not guilty of coercive and controlling behaviour, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and assault by beating. After the verdict, Hanson's parents wept and embraced him in the public gallery. Speaking outside court, Hanson said: “I’m delighted that after a year and a half the truth has finally come out. It has been a tormentous time and all I want now is to readjust to what has been such an ordeal.”
