Wife and partner jailed for conspiring to kill husband of 10 years to continue their affair
Main article content
A woman and her partner have been jailed for conspiring to kill her husband of 10 years in order to continue their affair.
Michelle Mills and her partner Geraint Berry, both aged 46, were today sentenced for planning an armed hit on Christopher Mills, which was foiled when he fought back.
The pair plotted an ambush on Mr Mills at the caravan the married couple were staying at in September 2024, with the intention of killing the ex-serviceman and making it look like a suicide.
Berry and a second man – Steven Thomas – attacked Mr Mills at the property, but were forced to flee when he defended himself.
Armed response officers and police dog units were deployed, and the suspects were arrested a short time later after being spotted by the National Police Air Service helicopter hiding in bushes.
With the assault having been reported to Dyfed-Powys Police by Michelle Mills, who claimed to be unaware of any potential motive for her husband to be targeted, the force began an investigation into an aggravated burglary.
But it soon became apparent the situation was not as it appeared.
Detective Inspector Sam Gregory, of Ceredigion CID, explained: “We’d had a report of two masked men attempting to gain access to a caravan and assaulting the owner, and we had arrested two suspects.
“On the surface it appeared that this case would be fairly straightforward.
“However, when our officers searched Berry and Thomas, it was discovered that they were in possession of gas masks, imitation firearms, and most bizarrely a typed suicide note purporting to have been written by Christopher Mills.
“With this development, the case was referred to CID to investigate, and the full extent of what had been planned began to unfold.”
-
&w=1024&h=624&scale=both&mode=max)
Blood at the caravan in Cenarth -
&w=1024&h=768&scale=both&mode=max)
Masks found in Berry and Thomas's rucksack -
&w=1024&h=621&scale=both&mode=max)
A firearm found at the caravan in Cenarth following the incident -
&w=1024&h=1053&scale=both&mode=max)
A mask found in the possession of Berry and Thomas -
&w=1024&h=727&scale=both&mode=max)
Cable ties found in the possession of Berry and Thomas
Digital forensic investigations quickly linked Mrs Mills to the suspects, with messages between her and Berry revealing they had been having an affair.
Despite telling officers she had ‘no idea’ why her husband would be targeted, it was discovered that Mrs Mills was fully aware that the ambush would take place, and that she had played an integral part in conspiring to murder her husband.
Messages from August 2024 onwards revealed that she and Berry had been conspiring to kill Mr Mills, communicating a number of ways in which they could take his life.
These ranged from suffocating him while he slept, or overdosing him on sleeping tablets, to poisoning him with antifreeze in his gravy or fox gloves in his salad.
Berry went so far as to contact a friend asking where he could acquire a gun with a suppressor, and how to make a car explode when the ignition was started.
Messages detailed two aborted visits to Mr Mills’ caravan on August 28 and 29, with Berry injuring his knee during a fall.
On the third attempt – on September 20 – Mrs Mills told Berry she would encourage her husband to drink so he would fall asleep.
Messages were retrieved from Berry informing Mrs Mills he had arrived at the holiday park, just moments before they burst into the caravan.
As a result of these enquiries, Mrs Mills was arrested at her home in Maes Ty Gwyn, Llwynhendy. She feigned ignorance, but stated to the arresting officer that she would be ‘going to jail for this’.
&w=1024&h=536&scale=both&mode=max)
DI Gregory said: “From start to finish, Mrs Mills denied any involvement in the plot. At first she claimed she did not know the men who had attacked her husband, and then on finding out that these messages had been uncovered, she claimed she thought it was all just a fantasy.
“At no point did she tell Berry she didn’t want to go through with any of their plans, or try to stop Berry from making them a reality. Her only concern was not getting caught.”
All three suspects were arrested and charged with conspiracy to murder Mr Mills. They stood trial in October, where a jury found Michelle Mills and Geraint Berry, both aged 46, guilty.
Today they were both sentenced to 19 years in prison.
Steven Thomas, aged 47, of Clos Coffa in Clydach, was found not guilty of conspiring to murder, but had previously admitted to possessing a firearm with intent to cause Christopher Mills to believe that unlawful violence would be used against him or another person. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison, the time of which has been served while on remand.
&w=1024&h=400&scale=both&mode=max)
DI Gregory said: “It is easy to get carried away by the dramatic details in this case, with its many twists and turns, and to forget that there is a victim behind the sensational headlines and lurid media stories. But it is important to acknowledge that Mr Mills’ life was truly at risk, and the person he should have been able to trust the most was behind the plans to harm him.
“I am pleased for Mr Mills’ sake that the criminal justice process has now come to an end, and that the three defendants have been sentenced.
“He has endured an unimaginable number of challenges over the past 15 months, from the realisation that his seemingly happy marriage was over, to being told his wife of 10 years had been plotting to kill him, and ending with her being jailed.
“Mr Mills has shown admirable strength and courage throughout our investigation, and I hope he is now able to move on and have the space to process the events of the past year.
“As for the defendants – Michelle Mills, Geraint Berry and Steven Thomas – they are now facing the consequences of their actions.
“Despite their not guilty pleas, and claims that the plots to kill Mr Mills were just fabrications, the evidence showed that Mills and Berry’s conspiracy was very real and that there had been multiple attempts to bring their plots to fruition.
“I believe both Mills and Berry are cold and calculated individuals, who have shown no remorse for their actions despite the devastation they have caused.
“This has been a complex and unique investigation, and I would like to thank all the officers and staff who worked diligently to gather strong evidence to secure these convictions and strong sentences.”