Wife found guilty of murdering elderly husband

A 69 year old Devon woman has been convicted of murdering her elderly husband - and sentenced to a total of 17 years in jail

Christine Rawle killed 72 year old Ian Rawle by stabbing him in the back with a knife at their property in Braunton in August 2022.

In closing remarks the prosecution had called this as 'clear a case of murder as you are likely to find."

Mrs Rawle had asked her husband of 29 years to help her with a task, before then stabbing him a single time in the back - apparently in self defence.

The 12.5cm knife penetrated 10cm into Mr Rawle's body - which His Honour Judge James Adkin said 'must have been violently done', adding the attack was 'wholly unexpected' and 'he was completely defenceless'.

He said: 'The main reason you killed your husband was you have an ungovernable temper' and she had sought to 'deliberately misrepresent' Mr Rawle's character - some of that was 'wild exaggeration'

While she did not give evidence at the trial, her defence had argued her husband was her 'captor' and she lived in fear - and remained there over concern about her animals which included horses.

The court heard Rawle and her husband had a dysfunctional marriage and likened them to the Roald Dahl characters The Twits.

In her defence the court was told she had previously contacted police over concerns for her safety - with the jury asked to consider whether she could realistically have called 999 to say her husband had called her 'nuts'.

In closing remarks, the prosecution reminded the jury the defendant and deceased 'both have their good points and bad points too' and described Mrs Rawle as 'highly manipulative, almost compulsively manipulative'.

He reminded the jury Mrs Rawle could not remember some details - but could remember others - and reflected on subsequent police interviews where she said: "I know what I've done and why I've done it. I'm going to be in big trouble'" saying it was the act of a woman 'who knew precisely what she had done'.

The prosecution also reminded the jury of a description of Mr Rawle as 'my captor' but how she asked him for help as 'he wasn't always horrendous, sometimes he could be nice' and did not to give evidence at her trial.

The jury were reminded Mr Rawle was asked to do a household-related job by his wife, when he appeared to be stabbed 'square in the back' without sign of previous physical struggle. The jury were asked to reflect 'if she had genuinely lost control and did something she didn't intend to' she does 'precious little' to save Mr Rawle and 'exasperated the 999 call handler' putting the dogs away - calling it 'the very opposite of losing control'. The jury were reminded Mrs Rawle also contacted a friend while waiting for paramedics to arrive, rather than trying to save Mr Rawle.

It was reflected Mr Rawle 'certainly had his faults' and was angry, frustrated, 'foul-mouthed perhaps a little tight-fisted at times' but 'we do not have his version of events'. The jury were told they did have an insight into their relationship from mundane text messages - about things like shopping.

The closing remarks included 'it's as simple a case of murder as you can get' and outlined the findings of a report by a doctor saying she'd hit a previous husband who did not believe that her ability to exercise self-control was impaired'.

The prosecution added: "To stab someone in the back is almost by definition one of the worst things you can do', adding 'she could have left, she could have walked away - but she did nothing'.

During the trial, it emerged Mr Rawle had a previous gun licence removed from him - over concerns about his suitability to possess the weapon.

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