Man accused of hiring £1,500 'hitman' to kill wife

Paul Lewis is accused of hiring a hitman to kill his wife

A Swansea man accused of conspiring to have his estranged wife murdered paid £1,500 to a friend to hire a "hitman", a court has heard.

Paul Lewis, 54, from Fishmarket Quay, Swansea, and Dominique Saunders, 35, also from Fishmarket Quay, both deny conspiracy to murder between 28 February 2023 and 30 April 2023.

The jury heard Mr Lewis' wife at the time, Joanne Atkinson-Lewis, was not harmed.

Prosecution barrister William Hughes said jurors at the men's trial will have to consider if the two defendants entered a "criminal agreement to facilitate the murder of a woman intending that it would be carried out".

The couple had separated two years before the incident - but were still married.

Jurors were told it did not matter to this case that Ms Atkinson-Lewis was unharmed.

Dominique Saunders has been charged with conspiracy to murder

The court heard Mr Lewis paid Mr Saunders £1,500, which the prosecution said was to hire a hitman to kill Ms Atkinson-Lewis.

He withdrew the same amount in March 2023, jurors heard, and soon afterwards Mr Saunders had deposited £1,300 in his bank.

Jurors were also told about internet searches for rifles, machine gun ranges and for Ms Atkinson-Lewis' address.

Over the following weeks there were repeated "significant" WhatsApp messages between the two defendants who lived in the same block of flats, the court heard.

Mr Lewis repeatedly asked for "news", it is alleged, which Mr Hughes said went "directly to the criminal agreement".

The court heard Mr Lewis sent a message which said "death becomes her" and said a number of times, "I paid money in good faith".

Mr Hughes told the court Mr Lewis sent a message saying he had "seen Joanne on Aberavon beach and she looked okay", and in another message he said "I want her out".

Jurors heard Mr Lewis sent messages which said he felt he had been scammed in late April because she was "breathing".

Another message read to the jury which was sent by Mr Saunders said "I'll send you that bloke's number and you can get your fifteen hundred back".

"Don't ask me to help again. I'm out."

Mr Hughes said the messages clearly demonstrated that Mr Lewis "agreed to pay and did pay £1,500 to facilitate the murder of Joanne Lewis".

Mr Lewis' son Kieron Lewis told the court he had gone to his father's flat on 29 April 2023 after his grandmother had become concerned.

He said: "I came straight out and asked him if he'd put a hit on Joanne."

Kieron Lewis told the court Mr Lewis "gave no reply, just a nod of confirmation and he broke down crying in front of him".

The court heard Kieron Lewis and his girlfriend Sidney West went through Mr Lewis' phone and discovered the messages before confronting Mr Saunders outside his flat upstairs and later calling the police.

The court heard Mr Lewis' mental health was poor that night, and that he was taken for a mental health assessment after threatening to take his own life.

Ms West told the court she asked him: "Do you understand you've paid someone to take someone's mother away?"

Mr Lewis wept in the dock as Ms West said he nodded in response.

The jury was also shown footage from cameras worn by the police offices who responded to Kieron Lewis' call.

In the footage, Ms West can be seen expressing her concern about Mr Lewis’ mental health and drinking and Mr Lewis telling officers he had been "scammed".

In a written statement, Ms Atkinson-Lewis told the court her ex-husband’s mental health began to deteriorate several years prior to his arrest.

Before their separation she said they argued but he was "never violent to me", adding they had seen each other face-to-face on one occasion in the two years prior to the incident.

Ms Atkinson-Lewis said every time they were due to meet in court in relation to their divorce proceedings, he "does something like attempt suicide".

The defendant's barrister, John Hipkin KC, said Mr Lewis was "vulnerable", had been "in and out of psychiatric hospital" and was "an ideal target for those who might want to take advantage of him" for up to two years before the incident.

Mr Hipkin said there was no "agreement" with Mr Saunders who had "set about scamming and did scam Paul Lewis out of £1,500".

Defending Mr Saunders, John Harrison KC said: "conspiracy requires agreement and in this case there was no agreement.

"He did not agree with Mr Lewis to murder his wife."

Mr Harrison added: "He never agreed to do anything at all."

Both defendants deny conspiracy to murder and the case continues.