Double jeopardy murderer sentenced to life imprisonment
A man, who was found guilty of murdering his wife in a double jeopardy case, has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Robert Rhodes was originally acquitted of killing his wife Dawn in June 2016, after he claimed at his original trial in 2017 that he and a child had been attacked and he had then acted in self-defence.
New 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 to re-try him.
The evidence from the child showed that Rhodes had carefully planned to kill Dawn and had told the child to cause injuries to his back. Dawn was asked by the child to close her eyes and hold her hands out, as if she was about to receive a surprise, at which point the child left the room and Rhodes attacked his wife with a knife. He then inflicted injuries on the child and some on himself.
Libby Clark, Specialist Prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service South East said: “For almost a decade, Robert Rhodes thought that he had got away with murder.
“Thanks to the bravery of the child witness in this case in coming forward, the horrendous truth about what happened on that awful night emerged.
“Despite the best attempts of Rhodes to claim that he had acted in self-defence, the new evidence clearly showed the level of planning he put into this murder.
“We hope that now the child witness can begin to move forward with their life, knowing that Rhodes has been convicted and imprisoned for his appalling actions that night.”
Susie Egan, Unit Head Prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service Appeals and Review Unit said: “Cases brought under the double jeopardy law are exceptionally rare and are only made in the most serious of cases, as they require the personal consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
“We need to have new and compelling evidence in a case for the Court of Appeal to consider quashing an acquittal and ordering a re-trial and, in this case, we had that from the child witness.
“None of us can begin imagine how difficult it was for them to come forward and by doing so, they have ensured that Dawn’s voice has been heard and Robert Rhodes has been convicted of her murder.”
Notes to editors
- The CPS Appeals and Review Unit made a successful application to the Court of Appeal under the ‘double jeopardy’ provisions introduced by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 to quash the acquittal of Robert Rhodes for the murder in 2016 of his wife Dawn Rhodes and to seek a re-trial. The Court will only grant such an application where there is new and compelling evidence and it is in the interests of justice to quash the acquittal and order a re-trial.
- Following a trial at Inner London Crown Court, Robert Rhodes [DOB: 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.
- He was sentenced to life imprisonment and will serve a minimum term of 27 years and 321 days.
- Libby Clark is a Specialist Prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service South East Complex Casework Unit.
- Susie Egan is the Unit Head of the Crown Prosecution Service Appeals and Review 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.