A woman has been jailed for life for murdering her “abusive” husband of 27 years after stabbing him in the back as he pushed a barrow of horse manure at their Devon farm.
Christine Rawle, 70, a hypnotherapist and “horse whisperer” lashed out at Ian Rawle, 72, after a row over a piece of land that she wanted to sell to pay for a private eye operation. She will serve at least 15 years and 153 days before being considered for parole.
She said the attack in August 2022 followed years of physical, psychological and sexual torment from her husband, which her defence team described in court as a “constant burn of abuse”.
Rawle said she feared he was about to attack her, adding that at the time she was suffering from a complex post-traumatic stress disorder.
The prosecution alleged she was the bully in the relationship and had stabbed her husband once before, as well as playing tricks on him including putting Viagra in his tea, chilli powder in his underpants and wiping her backside with his ties.
The judge, James Adkin, told Rawle that the 12.5cm-long blade was plunged 10cm into his body with such force that it cut a rib bone. He said: “It must have been violently thrust into his back. It was a wholly unexpected attack from you when he was defenceless. I’m sure you intended to kill.”
He said she prolonged his suffering by not calling an ambulance but had phoned a friend to ask them to look after her animals and made sure her dogs were safe. “You appear to have prioritised them over your husband as he was slowly dying,” the judge said.
Adkin said Ian Rawle was grumpy, obstinate and old-fashioned but he concluded that some of her claims about his behaviour to her were “wild exaggeration”. He accepted there was “verbal aggression” from Ian Rawle but did not believe he was the “serial domestic abuser” she sought to portray him as.
He said: “You could be violent to him and I’m not convinced by the theory that your violence was simply a response to the way he controlled you. The main reason you killed your husband is that you have an ungovernable temper.” The judge said aggravating features of the case included that she had “invented” serious allegations against Rawle, particularly sexual matters.
During the three decades the Rawles knew each other, they made reports to the police 14 times, which has led to questions about whether the Devon and Cornwall force could have done more to intervene.
In the weeks before her husband died, Rawle made two more calls to police on the 101 non-emergency number, which her defence said was her seeking help. It is thought neither call was answered, and that when she was arrested Rawle complained at not being able to reach the police.
It emerged during the trial that Ian Rawle had his shotgun certificate revoked because of concerns that he was a threat to the public and was judged to be easily moved to anger and capable of resorting to violence.
The jury at Exeter crown court took three hours and seven minutes to return its verdict. A domestic homicide review will look at how the police and other agencies dealt with the couple.
Christine Rawle’s barrister, Clare Wade KC, an expert on coercive and controlling behaviour, said on the day of Ian Rawle’s death she struck out at her “puppet master” husband fearing for her own life after he made “you’re crazy” and “slitting throat” gestures – the “straw that broke the camel’s back”.
Wade claimed Rawle’s bad behaviour over the years was her “resistance” to his controlling tendencies and her lashing out was a “loss of control” at a time she had complex post-traumatic stress disorder.
