Prosecutors argued that Rhodes, appearing via video link, had carried out a “very sustained and significant covering up for many years”, and that the starting point for the murder sentence should have been higher.
The Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme allows for crown court sentences to be reviewed if it is thought the sentence is too low.
In the ruling, Lady Justice May, sitting with Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb and Judge Nigel Lickley KC, agreed that the sentence was unduly lenient and said that the murder was “truly appalling”, adding: “We find it hard to conceive of a more heinous plot.”
It added that Rhodes’ “callous, selfish manipulation” of the child was a “particularly abhorrent aspect of this case”.
It said that Rhodes “thoroughly warranted a long minimum term”, but that aspects of the case should have further aggravated the sentence.
Warning: Some readers may find the following details distressing.
The retrial at Inner London Crown Court in December heard how Rhodes plotted the murder for months and duped his child into helping him carry out the attack.
Rhodes murdered his wife in the kitchen of their home near Redhill.
After the killing, he then cut the child and asked them to stab him in the back so he could claim he had been attacked.
