A carpenter has been cleared of murdering his wife after she 'flipped like the Hulk' during an argument, a court heard. Robert Rhodes, 43, claimed he acted in self-defence when he cut Dawn Rhodes's throat at their family home in Redhill, Surrey, in June last year.
Following a retrial at the Old Bailey, a jury deliberated for more than 36 hours before finding him not guilty of murder. The court heard that Dawn Rhodes had confronted her estranged husband about his new relationship. During the row, Rhodes said, his wife grabbed a kitchen knife and made a 'growling noise' as she 'came at him at speed'.
He managed to disarm her and take the knife, which he then swung out once and slashed her across the neck, leaving a 13cm gaping wound. Rhodes, who was smaller than his wife, then fled upstairs, called 999 and barricaded himself into a bedroom where he waited for police. Officers found Dawn Rhodes lying face down in the dining room in a large pool of blood.
Experts told the jury that although a frontal attack could not be ruled out, it was more 'plausible' that the injury had been inflicted from behind. The prosecutor Simon Russell Flint QC detailed the couple's relationship troubles, including infidelity on both sides.
The defendant made no reaction as the jury delivered its verdict. Judge Michael Topolski QC told jurors: 'Irrespective of the outcome, this has been a great tragedy for all. There are no winners, only losers.' He added: 'I want my very last words in the case to be to the family of Mrs Rhodes. The court sends their condolences.'
