Christine Rawle: Woman, 69, guilty of murdering husband of 29 years after stabbing him in a ‘fit of temper’

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A horse knowledgeable who stabbed her husband throughout a row over land at their dwelling in North Devon has been discovered guilty of homicide.

Christine Rawle, 69, killed Ian Rawle, 72, by stabbing him in the again with a knife at their property in the village of Braunton on 21 August, 2022.

Exeter Crown Court heard Mr Rawle then staggered after his spouse of 29 years, imploring her to take away the knife from his again, earlier than collapsing and dying from the wound.

Jurors have been informed how the couple had a dysfunctional marriage, with prosecutors likening them to the Roald Dahl characters The Twits.

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Prosecuting, Mr Sean Brunton KC mentioned the killing was “as clear a case of murder as you are likely to find”, with Rawle attacking her husband in a “fit of temper” throughout the argument.

Rawle didn’t give proof throughout her trial however her authorized staff insisted she had been a sufferer of coercive and controlling behaviour from her husband, and stabbed him in self-defence.

The jury rejected her account and convicted her of homicide.

Judge James Adkin informed the panel: “Thank you very much for your close attention to this case. It wasn’t an easy case, there was quite a lot of complicated evidence for you to consider.”

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During the trial, the courtroom heard how Mr Rawle had come to assist his spouse with mucking out her horses as she was struggling with a dangerous shoulder.

It was alleged that Rawle fatally attacked her husband with a knife as he pushed a wheelbarrow of manure in direction of the muck heap.

In his closing speech to the jury, Mr Brunton described Rawle as “almost compulsively manipulative”.

He informed the jury: “The issue of self-defence doesn’t arise. It is a non-issue.

“He is walking away from her, pushing the wheelbarrow after 30 years of marriage. What was she threatened by? By nothing.”

Mr Brunton mentioned Rawle had “unfettered access to money” from her husband, with the couple residing with “no debts, a lovely house, and plenty of money”.

The courtroom heard how Rawle had been on the cellphone to her grownup daughter on the time of the homicide.

Her daughter rang police after listening to Rawle say “I’ve stabbed him, I’ve stabbed him”. A name operator for the ambulance service then rang Rawle to assist her administer first assist.

But as a substitute, Rawle mentioned to the operator: “He was on and on at me, I am watching him die in front of me”.

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When police arrived on the scene, and through police interview, Rawle claimed she had been subjected to years of psychological and bodily violence from her husband.

The defendant, who has been identified with melancholy and complicated post-traumatic stress dysfunction, insisted she believed he was going to kill her when she attacked him.

Witnesses gave differing accounts of Rawle and her husband, with one neighbour describing Mr Rawle as “vindictive” and ugly to his spouse.

Rawle’s son Thomas informed the jury how Mr Rawle had subjected his mom to years of abuse, and tried to regulate her by hiding her automobile keys – describing her as a “fat pig”.

A buddy of Rawle mentioned she waited on her husband “hand and foot” however he would accuse her of being lazy and ineffective, with Rawle confiding that she wished a divorce.

However, one work colleague of Mr Rawle informed the courtroom she was involved he was the sufferer of home abuse and tried to seek out him a help service.

She described seeing Mr Rawle with a black eye, which he mentioned was attributable to his spouse. On one event, Rawle rang the office and informed the witness: “Tell Ian to look in the mirror because he isn’t Kevin Costner”.