A Devon man is facing a mandatory life sentence after being convicted of murdering his wife and then chillingly manipulating their young child to help cover up his crime.
A Brutal Killing and a Web of Lies
Robert Rhodes, 52, from Withleigh, Devon, stabbed his wife Dawn to death in the kitchen of their Redhill, Surrey home on June 2, 2016. The court heard he carried out the killing after discovering she was having an affair with a colleague. Immediately after the murder, Rhodes set about constructing an elaborate false narrative, claiming he had acted in self-defence.
He told police that his wife had attacked both him and their child, who was under ten years old at the time, with a knife. To bolster his story, Rhodes inflicted a cut on the child's arm and stabbed himself, blaming these injuries on Dawn. In his initial 2017 trial at the Old Bailey, he described her as "flipping like a Hulk," and the jury acquitted him of murder.
The Child's Harrowing Testimony Unravels the Plot
The case took a dramatic turn in 2021 when the couple's child, now a teenager, confided in a therapist. The child revealed they had been coerced and groomed by their father to support his lies as part of a plan to "get rid of mummy." This shocking new evidence led to Rhodes's re-arrest.
The child described how Rhodes had rehearsed a scenario with them before the murder. They were coached to ask Dawn to close her eyes and wait for a picture. As she stood with her eyes shut, unaware, Rhodes attacked her with a knife. After the killing, Rhodes continued to manipulate the child while on bail, even hiding a mobile phone at his mother's house to send recorded messages reminding them of the "pact."
Justice Served After Rare Second Trial
Based on the child's brave testimony, the Crown Prosecution Service successfully applied to have the acquittal overturned. Rhodes faced a rare double jeopardy retrial for murder at Inner London Crown Court and was convicted by a unanimous jury in December 2025. He was also found guilty of perjury, perverting the course of justice, and child cruelty.
Libby Clark from the CPS stated the new evidence was "profoundly shocking" and showed the "careful planning" Rhodes had invested in murdering his wife and evading justice. Detective Chief Inspector Kimball Edey of the Surrey and Sussex Police major crime team said Rhodes's actions were "simply despicable," noting he had "irreparably damaged" his child's life while taking Dawn's.
Rhodes, who denied all charges, is due to be sentenced by Mrs Justice Ellenbogen on Friday, January 16, 2026. He will receive an automatic life sentence, with the judge to determine the minimum term he must serve before being considered for parole.
