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Moment wife laughs during arrest for 'plot to kill husband' with ex-marine lover - The Mirror


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Daily Mirror

Moment wife laughs during arrest for 'plot to kill husband' with ex-marine lover

Michelle Mills, 46, has been found guilty of planning to kill her husband Christopher weeks after his £124,000 Help for Heroes life insurance policy came into effect

A cheating wife was caught laughing as police arrested her after teaming up with her ex-Royal Marine lover to fake a suicide letter from her husband as part of a murder plot.


Michelle Mills, 46, and her secret lover Geraint Berry, 46, have both been found guilty of cooking up a warped plan to kill Christopher Mills in a bid to "move forward" with their three-month affair. During their trial, the jury were presented with a bogus suicide letter that showed her husband 'confessing' to beating and raping her before killing himself.


But the court heard it was a forgery after the pair discussed smothering him with a pillow, putting foxgloves in his salad or even putting anti-freeze in his gravy as part of 2,301 messages sent between them. They then settled on killing Mr Mills during a fake armed raid on the couple's caravan in Cenarth, Carmarthenshire, in September last year.


The fake suicide note shown to the jury was released by the CPS - addressed to "Dear Bab" - his nickname for her. It read: "I'm really sorry for everything I have done to you ie laying my hands on you when I have been drinking a lot of alcohol every day... I'm not happy with what I have done to you Babs ie beating you and raping you and I shouldn't have done that to.

"By the time you get this letter I will be gone because I can't live with myself cause every time I look at you I can see I have hurt you." A sealed white envelope which the jury heard was a forged suicide note addressed to Mrs Mills from her husband was found in Mr Berry's pocket.


PC Jack Herbert said the forged letter contained an "apology" to Mrs Mills which included fake admissions of "assault" and "rape". PC Herbert, from Dyfed-Powys Police, said Mrs Mills claimed her husband would "question her whereabouts" and stop her leaving the house on time for work.

Crime scene photos showed a terrifying haul of gas masks, cable ties, balaclavas and guns allegedly packed by 6ft4ins Berry to carry out the raid alongside fellow former soldier Steven Thomas, 47. Swansea Crown Court heard the murder plot plan 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.

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 gasmasks with filter canisters, cable ties, pliers, cloths and a telescopic gun sight in their ruscksacks.


There was also a fake "suicide note" made to look like it was written by Mr Mills and addressed to his wife whose nickname is "Babs". Mills claimed she believed the plan was "fantasy" and only ever intended on divorcing her husband. She said: "There was no plan to kill my husband. It was all part of a fantasy with Gaz.

"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 his wife made claims of domestic violence against him - which he denied.

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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 every 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.

Mr Justice Nicklin KC adjourned sentencing until December 19 but both face five years in prison.

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