During the prosecution opening, the relationship between Christine and Ian Rawle was compared to The Twits – a spiteful couple from a Roald Dahl children’s book who play nasty practical jokes on each other.
But over a month-long trial at Exeter crown court, the 27-year marriage between the Rawles has felt anything but amusing or entertaining and the headline-grabbing Dahl comparison has, perhaps, ended up feeling a little tasteless.