Overview
- Mrs Justice Ellenbogen sentenced Rhodes at Inner London Crown Court, calling him a coward for refusing to attend and citing sexual jealousy as his motive.
- Alongside murder, Rhodes was convicted of two counts of perjury, perverting the course of justice and child cruelty, with concurrent terms imposed and time already served credited.
- Rhodes killed Dawn Rhodes in June 2016 at their Redhill, Surrey home, then stabbed himself and cut the child’s arm to stage a self‑defence scenario.
- His earlier murder acquittal at the Old Bailey in 2017 was quashed by the Court of Appeal, leading to a rare retrial and a December 2025 guilty verdict.
- The child, whose identity is protected, gave a victim impact statement describing lasting trauma and a permanent scar, as police and the CPS praised their bravery in coming forward.