A Devon man has been sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife, a killing the court heard was the culmination of years of domestic abuse and involved the chilling manipulation of their young child.
A Life of Torment and a Calculated Killing
Robert Rhodes, from Withleigh in Devon, was ordered to serve a minimum of 29-and-a-half years for ending the life of his wife, Dawn Rhodes. The sentencing comes nearly a decade after he initially walked free following a first trial, where he falsely claimed he acted in self-defence.
Rhodes had told the court that Dawn attacked him and their child with a knife during a kitchen argument in January 2026. He stated he told the child to go upstairs before a struggle ensued. The child, at the time, even showed police a cut on their arm, which they claimed was caused by their mother.
However, fresh evidence presented in a second trial last week revealed a harrowing truth. The couple's child, now older, bravely came forward to expose their father's lies and the years of manipulation that followed the murder.
The Child's Heartbreaking Testimony
The court heard how Rhodes had meticulously planned the attack. He instructed the child, who was under the age of 10 at the time, to lure Dawn into a false sense of security. The child was told to ask their mother to close her eyes and hold out her hands for a picture they had drawn.
As Dawn stood with her eyes closed, unaware of the impending violence, the child left the room and locked themselves in an upstairs bathroom. Rhodes then brutally attacked his wife with a knife. The child made the 999 call at 7.34pm on the night of the murder.
For years, the child carried the burden of their father's secret, having been coached by Rhodes before and after the stabbing to support his fabricated version of events. The guilt eventually became unbearable.
Truth Emerges After Years of Silence
In 2021, the child began therapy and started to disclose the reality of what happened. By 2022, they gave a full account to the police, stating in an interview: "I didn't want to do any of it. I just felt guilty but I did what I was told."
Prosecutor Libby Clark described the new evidence as "profoundly shocking" and indicative of the careful planning Rhodes undertook. Given the child's age at the time of the offence, they bear no criminal responsibility for their involvement.
During the recent trial, the child delivered a powerful victim impact statement, criticising their father for "gaslighting me, parading around as a survivor, while destroying me and my mother." They added: "I wish I could say his manipulating and abuse has not ruined my life, but I can't. I wish I could say Robert Rhodes did not take everything away from me, but I can't."
The court rejected Rhodes's claims that the murder was related to a marital breakdown, accepting instead that Dawn had suffered a prolonged period of domestic violence prior to her death.
If you are affected by issues in this report, support is available. Women can call the free, 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247. Men can contact the Respect Men's Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 (Mon-Fri 10am-8pm) or via their webchat.
