Wife and ex-soldiers plotted to kill husband - court

Michelle Mills, 46, from Llanelli, denies conspiring to murder Christopher Mills (pictured) with Geraint Berry and Steven Thomas

A woman has said an alleged plot to kill her husband alongside her ex-marine secret lover and another veteran was only "a fantasy", a trial has heard.

Ethel Mills, known as Michelle, 46, from Llangennech, Carmarthenshire, denies conspiring to murder Christopher Mills, also ex-forces, with Geraint Berry, 46, from Swansea, and Steven Thomas, 47, from Blaengwynfi, Neath Port Talbot.

Mr Mills was attacked at the couple's caravan in Cenarth, Carmarthenshire, on 20 September 2024 by two masked men with guns, gas masks, gloves and cable ties.

On Tuesday, Swansea Crown Court heard the trio exchanged messages about killing him, but Mrs Mills claimed she never meant for him to be harmed.

Christopher Mills was attacked at their caravan in Cenarth, Newcastle Emlyn, by two masked men with guns, gas masks, gloves and cable ties

The jury heard Mrs Mills told police she knew Mr Berry and Mr Thomas through her work with the homeless charity Alabaré, and claimed her husband had assaulted her in the past.

Prosecutors said Mrs Mills and Mr Berry had been in a secret three-month relationship, during which they shared fantasies about killing her husband.

In the weeks leading up to the attack, messages between them revealed Mr Berry had written her husband should "just die", and that he urged her to smother him with a pillow or poison him by putting antifreeze in his gravy.

On the night of 20 September 2024, Mr Mills and his wife were in their caravan when he answered a knock at the door and was attacked by two masked men armed with guns.

Jurors heard the 999 call made by Mrs Mills, during which her husband could be heard asking for an "immediate armed response".

"I'm ex-forces," he said, "I've taken the guns off them. They might still be here. It's pitch black here".

Police later found Mr Berry and Mr Thomas hiding nearby, one carrying a forged suicide note supposedly written by Mr Mills to his wife.

Mrs Mills told officers killing her husband was "just a fantasy" and that she "felt safe" with Mr Berry.

But prosecutor Jonathan Rees KC said she had messaged him on the night of the attack: "You know what you're doing. And I trust you."

She told police that Mr Berry had told her there were two failed attempts to carry out the alleged plot at the caravan park, which is why she thought it was only a "fantasy" she "could escape to".

Forensic tests linked Mrs Mills' DNA to the forged note, while Mr Berry's fingerprints were found on a gas mask and Mr Thomas's on one of its canisters.

The court also heard Mr Berry messaged a contact called "Paul Army Gun Store" asking how to make a Mini Cooper S "go boom" because he "needed to get rid of someone".

Jurors were told the same model car was parked outside the caravan in Cenarth, but Mr Berry claimed he did not know Mr Mills drove one and it was "just a coincidence".

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.

Christopher Mills told the court he and Michelle Mills had shared dinner, drinks and listened to music in their caravan that night before the attack

In the witness box, Mr Mills said life with Mrs Mills had been "really good" and he was "devastated" to learn of her affair after the attack.

He said he knew Mr Berry through charity work and had questioned Mrs Mills about the time she spent with him, but she reassured him: "There's nothing going on, it's just work, and I love you."

Mr Mills told the court they had eaten dinner together in their caravan that night, listening to music and having a few drinks, before a knock came at the door at about 23:30 BST.

"Michelle had been on her phone," he said. "I assumed she was playing a game - apparently not.

"As I opened the door he literally hit me right in the face with a pistol, 'get back', 'get down', he was saying.

"I punched him in his face. I pulled his pistol off of him. He was dressed in overalls, with balaclavas. He was a lot bigger than me," Mr Mills added.

He said there was someone else there too, who he fought off, and then his wife called the police.

Mr Mills also confirmed he drove the Mini Cooper S when questioned by the prosecution.

Footage of Mrs Mills' arrest showed her saying: "I'm going to end up in prison because of this."

Defence barrister Caroline Rees KC suggested the marriage was not as happy as Mr Mills claimed, but he replied: "I never suggested I wanted a divorce," rejecting suggestions he could be controlling.

The court heard he had been arrested, a day after this attack, on suspicion of domestic violence.

"My heart sank," he said, "I knew at that point that she was involved in this debacle.

"All I kept saying was, this is all wrong, my wife must have been involved in this, I've never touched her," Mr Mills added.

The trial continues.