Wife is found guilty of plotting to kill her husband with secret lover
A wife has been found guilty of plotting to kill her husband with the help of a secret lover.
Michelle Mills, 46, was accused alongside ex-Royal Marine Geraint Berry, 46, of planning to murder Christopher Mills, 48, in a bid to 'move forward' with their three-month affair.
Two masked men attacked Mr Mills in a caravan at a west Wales holiday park in September last year.
They were armed with imitation firearms - but Mr Mills managed to disarm and fight off the intruders who then fled.
A jury has now found Mills and Berry guilty.
The third co-accused - former serviceman Steven Thomas - was not found guilty.
Each of the trio had denied conspiracy to murder, with Mills also denying a count of attempting to pervert the court of justice, in relation to the account she gave police in the aftermath of the caravan incident.
Berry and Thomas previously pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear.
Michelle Mills (left), 46, and ex-Royal Marine Geraint Berry, 46, were accused of planning to kill her husband Christopher Mills (right), 48, in a bid to 'move forward' with their three-month affair
In some 2,301 messages sent between them, Mills and Berry discussed smothering Mr Mills with a pillow, putting foxgloves in his salad or even putting anti-freeze in his gravy (Pictured: Geraint Berry)
A guilty verdict was not returned for a third co-accused - former serviceman Steven Thomas (pictured)
In footage shown in court, Mills could be seen laughing after being asked whether she understood the reason for her arrest.
The jury were told Mills and Berry had plotted to kill Christopher Mills while he was staying at the couple's holiday caravan in Cenarth, Carmarthenshire - with Berry also enlisting the help of an accomplice.
The court heard the pair wrote a forged suicide letter from Mr Mills addressed to 'Dear Babs' - his nickname for her - with fake admissions of assault and rape.
In some 2,301 messages sent between them, Mills and Berry discussed smothering Mr Mills with a pillow, putting foxgloves in his salad or even putting anti-freeze in his gravy.
They were said to have eventually settled on Berry and another former solider, Steven Thomas, 47, killing Mr Mills in a fake armed raid on the couple's caravan in Cenarth, Carmarthenshire, in September last year.
However, the plot was foiled when two men were forced to flee the caravan after they were both overpowered by Mr Mills as they attempted to kill him, the court heard. They were allegedly later found hiding in bushes nearby.
In video footage of Mills' arrest, a female police officer can be heard asking whether she understood the reasons for detention. Mills lets out a laugh, and responds: 'No, I don't understand'.
As the crimes are explained again, Mills is seen putting her head in her hands.
Michelle Mills, 46, was captured on police bodycam footage laughing as she was arrested on suspicion of plotting to murder her husband
She then placed her head in her hands and asked if she would end up in f***ing prison'
She then says: 'I'm going to end up in f***ing prison over this aren't I?'
Mills adds: 'I don't know what's going on.'
Moments earlier, the officers had informed her she was being taken into custody to 'protect a vulnerable person' - to which she asked: 'Which vulnerable person is that?'
She is then told the vulnerable person is her husband.
Crime scene pictures from inside the caravan shown to the jury revealed balaclavas, cable ties and gas masks that were left behind by the two men when they ran away. They were also shown two imitation handguns that had been left behind.
Swansea Crown Court heard the murder plot was carried out just weeks after a life insurance policy from Help 4 Heroes came into effect for Mr Mills - making his wife the 100 per cent beneficiary of the £124,000 payout.
Prosecutor Jonathan Rees KC said 'jealous' Berry became 'more and more graphic' in messages about killing Mr Mills after his lover was 'stoking the fire'.
The court heard Mills told Berry her husband had tried to sexually touch her and was even 'holding her against her will' - but she denied it was an attempt to 'provoke' him.
Each of the trio denied plotting to murder Christopher Mills (pictured outside Swansea Crown Court)
Mr Rees said: 'Michelle Mills and Geraint Berry had embarked on a secret sexual relationship which, on Geraint Berry's part at least, had become increasingly intense.
'Berry, encouraged on by Michelle Mills, had become increasingly occupied by hostile thoughts about Christopher Mills.'
The court heard Berry vowed to put Mr Mills 'in the f***ing ground' in messages while also saying he would 'make it look like suicide'.
The messages revealed Mills texted her lover Berry following the attack to tell him to get away from the scene and added: 'Delete all communications on both phones'.
She then said 'I will not say a word' while Berry and Thomas fled the scene after being fought off by 20-stone Mr Mills inside the caravan.
Berry and Thomas gave themselves up after hiding in the bushes - and officers found the fake suicide note, gasmasks with filter canisters, cable ties, pliers, cloths and a telescopic gun sight in their rucksacks.
Mills claimed she believed the plan was 'fantasy' and only ever intended to divorce her husband.
She said: 'There was no plan to kill my husband. It was all part of a fantasy with Gaz.
Footage taken from a police helicopter shows Berry and Thompson hiding in the bushes nearby before they were arrested
'We had no plan to kill Christopher. All we wanted to do was for me to be safe. To leave Christopher, get a divorce and go from there.
'It was an escape from reality. It was not planned and it was not wanted.'
Mr Mills said he had 'no idea' his wife was having an affair and arrested following the masked attack when she made claims of domestic violence against him - which he denied.
He said: 'It was a massive shock but the first time it came to my attention was the following day. I was arrested. At that instant I realised then that Michelle was involved. My heart sank.'
The court heard Mr Mills denied ever being violent towards his wife - and said: 'I have never laid a finger on her.'
He added: 'I have done nothing to Michelle. As far as I was concerned we had a happy marriage. We had new passports and we were saving up to go on holiday.'
Berry, 46, of Clydach, Swansea Valley, Thomas, 47, of Blaengwinfi, Afan Valley, and Ethel Michelle Mills, of Llanelli, all denied conspiracy to murder.
