WIREDGOV

A husband, who manipulated a young child into helping him to kill his wife, has been found guilty of murder, having previously been acquitted of the crime in 2017. 

New and compelling evidence from a child witness, who was under 10-years-old at the time of the murder, led to a successful application to the Court of Appeal under the double jeopardy law introduced in 2003 to re-try Robert Rhodes for the murder of his wife Dawn in June 2016.

At the original trial, Rhodes had claimed that Dawn had attacked him first and had inflicted knife wounds on him and a child at their home in Redhill, Surrey before he retaliated, cutting her throat. The new evidence presented to the jury from the child witness showed that Rhodes had carefully planned to kill Dawn, manipulating the child into helping him. 

Dawn was told by the child to close her eyes and hold her hands out, as if she was about to receive a surprise. The child then left the room and Rhodes attacked his wife, making the child inflict wounds on him, which they were unable to do, meaning Rhodes had to inflict some of the injuries on himself.  

Libby Clark from the Crown Prosecution Service said:

“The new evidence that came from the child witness was profoundly shocking and showed just how much careful planning Robert Rhodes had put into murdering his wife. 

“He exploited a young child before the murder, explaining his plan to cover up the truth and make it appear as if Dawn had attacked him, so that he could claim that he acted in self-defence.  This included Rhodes inflicting injuries on the young child’s arm. 

“He continued with his web of lies over the intervening years. It is thanks to the immense bravery of the child in coming forward to explain exactly what happened that night that Robert Rhodes has finally been brought to justice for the murder of Dawn, something he mistakenly thought he could get away with. 

“None of us can even begin to imagine what Rhodes has put the child through over a period of many years. Now though, as a result of their evidence, Dawn can now be remembered by everyone in the right way – as a victim of her violent partner.” 

Notes to Editors

• Following a trial at Inner London Crown Court, Robert Rhodes [20/06/1973] was found guilty of murdering his wife Dawn. He was also convicted of two charges of perjury, one charge of perverting the course of justice and one charge of child cruelty.
• Libby Clark is a Specialist Prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service South East Complex Casework Unit.
• Reporting restrictions are in place in relation to the child witness in this case, which means that they cannot be named or identified. They can only be identified as a child who was under the age of 10 at the time of Dawn’s murder.