Robert Rhodes, 53, who murdered his wife Dawn Rhodes in 2016 after coercing their child under the age of 10 into helping him, has had the minimum term of his life sentence increased from 29.5 years to 33.5 years by the Court of Appeal. The court ruled the original sentence was unduly lenient, describing the murder as 'truly appalling' and the manipulation of the child as an act of 'utter cruelty'.
Details of the Murder and Original Acquittal
Rhodes slit his wife's throat in their family home in Redhill, Surrey, in 2016, having planned the murder for months and involving their child in the attack. After the killing, he stabbed himself and cut the child's arm to fabricate a self-defence claim. A jury at the Old Bailey acquitted him in 2017, but in 2021 the traumatised child revealed the truth to a therapist and then the police.
Rhodes was convicted at a second trial at Inner London Crown Court in December 2023 of murder, two counts of perjury for false evidence at his Old Bailey trial and in family courts in 2018, perverting the course of justice, and child cruelty. He was originally sentenced to 29.5 years in January 2024.
Court of Appeal Ruling
Solicitor General Ellie Reeves referred the sentence to the Court of Appeal as 'unduly lenient'. Tom Little KC, representing the Solicitor General, argued that the murder sentence alone should have had a starting point of 30 years before the other offences were considered. The court agreed, increasing the minimum term to 33.5 years, meaning Rhodes will not be released until at least 2057.
Lady Justice May, alongside Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb and Judge Nigel Lickley KC, stated: 'We find it hard to conceive of a more heinous plot.' The senior judge noted the deception involving the child was a 'particularly abhorrent aspect of this case' entailing 'callous, selfish manipulation and abuse', which was 'not sufficiently reflected' in the sentencing remarks of the trial judge, Mrs Justice Ellenbogen.
Impact on the Child
The child, now older, stated in a victim impact statement: 'The guilt and shame I feel will never go away. Robert Rhodes lied to me, bribed me, made me feel special in order to manipulate and abuse me for his own gain, leaving me ruined.' The court emphasised the child was 'blameless' and thanked them for ensuring justice was served.
Rhodes' legal team, led by Nina Grahame KC, argued the sentence should remain unchanged, claiming the trial judge was 'best-placed' to determine the minimum term. However, the Court of Appeal rejected this, with Lady Justice May concluding: 'It is thanks to (the child) that justice has been served, at last.'
