Wife accused of plot to kill husband felt 'dehumanised'

Christopher Mills was attacked by two masked men in his caravan in September 2024

A woman accused of plotting with her lover and another man to kill her husband has said she felt "dehumanised" by an unhappy marriage, but texts about killing him were "fiction", a jury has heard.

Ethel Mills, 46, known as Michelle, from Llangennech in Carmarthenshire, denied conspiring to murder Christopher Mills, with Geraint Berry, 46, from Clydach, Swansea, and Steven Thomas, 47, from Blaengwynfi, Neath Port Talbot, who both deny the charges.

Mr Mills was attacked by two masked men with guns, gloves and cable ties at the caravan he shared with his wife in Cenarth, Carmarthenshire, in September 2024.

Mrs Mills and Mr Berry were having an affair and shared "fantasies" about killing Mr Mills.

On Wednesday, the jury at Swansea Crown Court heard Mrs Mills describe conversations with her lover about her husband's death as a "fantasy", stating she had never wanted to have Mr Mills killed.

She said their marriage was "difficult", that she was unhappy and they would argue daily.

"There was an occasional shove and push," she said. "There were sexual incidents that were not nice.

"I felt I wanted to get out. I needed to get out. I wanted a divorce."

When asked by defence barrister Caroline Rees KC how she felt in her marriage, Mrs Mills said she felt "inadequate and dehumanised".

Mrs Mills told the court she met Mr Berry while she was south Wales manager of Alabaré homeless charity for veterans – the same way as she had met Mr Thomas – at a block of flats in Clydach, Swansea. Both men lived there.

"When I was with Mr Berry everything was quiet, there were no arguments. It felt safe," she said.

"He was always smiling. Never intimidating. It made me feel more human."

She said he would often share "fantasies" and "non-serious stories", including about killing her husband.

"I thought it was fiction," she said.

Caravan attack

On the day of the caravan attack, on 20 September 2024, she told the jury she did not expect anything amiss.

She had texted Mr Berry to say, "you know what you're doing" and "I trust you".

He had messaged that he would kill Mr Mills but "it was fantasy, and that was it", she told the court.

When the two men in balaclavas broke into the caravan, she said she did not recognise them.

She told the jury she thought someone had "come to get" Mr Mills due to his military background.

She called the police and the pair ran away, at which point she texted Mr Berry telling him to "delete messages".

Mrs Mills told the court, she had hoped Mr Mills would text back and say he had not been at the caravan.

She denied knowing anything about a forged suicide note, addressed to her from her husband, containing a fake admission of rape against his wife.

The note was found in a white envelope in Mr Berry's pocket, when police apprehended him and Mr Thomas hiding in bushes on land near the caravan park within hours of the attack.

Christopher Mills was attacked at a caravan by two masked men with guns, gas masks, gloves and cable ties.

When questioned by prosecution barrister Jonathan Rees KC, Mrs Mills told the jury that Mr Berry, who she referred to as "Gaz", would not have killed anyone.

"Gaz hasn't got it in him to hurt anybody," she said, "he is a safe individual".

She said she wanted to leave her husband by divorce but that she would be left "with nothing".

"In all fairness, Mr Mills has done this five times before, he knows the divorce process far better than I do," she said.

The court heard a life insurance policy in Mr Mills' name came in to force on 12 August 2024, some weeks before the attack, which Mrs Mills denied knowing anything about.

"There was no arrangement to do murder," she said, "there was no arrangement to kill Christopher Mills."

All three defendants deny conspiracy to murder.

Mrs Mills also denies perverting the course of justice by deleting messages and giving police a false account.

The trial continues.