Equestrian expert murders husband after stabbing him in ‘bad temper’

A self-proclaimed equestrian expert who stabbed her husband during a row over land at their North Devon home has been found guilty of murder.

On August 21, 2022, 69-year-old Christine Rawle stabbed 72-year-old Ian Rawle to death in the back at his home in Braunton Village.

Exeter Crown Court heard Mr Rolle then staggered behind his wife of 29 years and begged her to remove the knife from his back before collapsing and dying from his wounds.

Jurors were told how the couple’s marriage was dysfunctional, with prosecutors likening them to Roald Dahl’s “The Fools,” a malevolent married couple who lived in a windowless brick house. inside.

Sean Brunton KC, prosecuting, said the murder was “a clear case of murder” and Rolle had “become ill-tempered” and attacked her husband during an argument.

Rolle gave no evidence during the trial, but her legal team maintained she was the victim of coercive and controlling behavior by her husband and stabbed him in self-defence.

The jury rejected her story and convicted her of murder.

Judge James Adkin told the jury: “Thank you very much for your close attention to this case. This is not a simple case and there is a lot of complex evidence for you to consider.”

During the trial, the court heard how Mr Rolle helped his wife clean her horse because she had injured her shoulder.

Rolle allegedly attacked her husband with a knife as he pushed a trolley full of excrement towards a dung pile, killing him.

In his closing address to the jury, Mr Brunton described Rolle as an “almost compulsive manipulator”.

He told the jury: “The question of self-defence does not arise. It is not an issue.

“After 30 years of marriage, he left her with a wheelbarrow. What threats were made to her? Nothing.”

Mr Brunton said Rolle had “unrestricted access to money” from her husband and the couple had “no debt, a nice house and lots of money”.

The court heard how Rolle was on the phone with his adult daughter at the time of the murder.

Her daughter called police after hearing Rolle say “I stabbed him, I stabbed him.” The ambulance service operator then called Rolle to help her administer first aid.

But instead, Rolle told the operator: “He was looking at me and I was watching him die in front of me.”

When police arrived and were interviewed by police, Rolle claimed she had suffered years of psychological and physical violence from her husband.

The defendant, who has been diagnosed with depression and complex post-traumatic stress disorder, maintained she believed he would kill her when she attacked him.

Witnesses gave varying accounts of Rolle and her husband, with one neighbor describing Mr Rolle as “vindictive” and unpleasant to his wife.

Rolle’s son Thomas told the jury how Mr Rolle subjected his mother to years of abuse and tried to control her by hiding her car keys and describing her as a “fat pig”.

One of Rolle’s friends said she was devoted to her husband, but he would accuse her of being lazy and useless, and Rolle admitted she wanted a divorce.

However, a colleague of Mr Rolle told the court she was concerned Mr Rolle was a victim of domestic violence and was trying to find support services for him.

She described seeing Mr Rolle with a black eye, which he said was caused by his wife. At one point, Rolle called the workplace and told the witness: “Let Ian look in the mirror because he is not Kevin Costner”.