Nicola Jane Owen ("Nikki") was a sufferer from

premenstrual syndrome Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) refers to emotional and physical symptoms that regularly occur in the one to two weeks before the start of each menstrual period. Symptoms resolve around the time menstrual bleeding begins. Different women experienc ...

(PMS) who was prosecuted for

arson Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

endangering life and attempting to kill her mother at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

but made legal history on 22 December 1978 by successfully using her condition as a defence. Pioneering research doctor

Katharina Dalton Katharina Dalton (11 November 1916 – 17 September 2004) was a British physician and pioneer in the research of premenstrual stress syndrome (PMS), coining the term, treating many women and testifying as an expert witness in influential court c ...

testified as an

expert witness An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...

. As a result of this trauma she developed tools and resources in attempt to help people to better manage stress and anxiety. The Healing Hub App (founded in 2020) is the result of three decades of tools and techniques pioneered by Owen who claims to have successfully treated thousands of individuals combining breath-work, sound therapy, neuro-linguistic programming and hypnosis.

References

1970 births Living people {{UK-crime-bio-stub