Cheating spouse and ex-Marine lover jailed for 38 years over plot to homicide soldier husband to money in on his life insurance coverage

A cheating wife and her secret ex-Royal Marine lover were today jailed for 19 years each for plotting to murder her husband.

Michelle Mills, 46, and lover Geraint Berry, 47, made a ‘kill kit’ to bump off unsuspecting Christopher Mills to claim his life insurance.

Berry recruited Steven Thomas, also 47, to help carry out the attack on September 20 last year. 

Mills and Berry 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.

The ‘chilling’ pair then settled on killing Mr Mills during a fake armed raid on the couple’s holiday caravan in Cenarth, Carmarthenshire, in September last year.

They even faked a suicide note in which her husband confessed to raping and beating his wife – knowing it was all a lie.

Mr Mills was attacked at a static caravan he shared with his wife by Berry and Thomas, who were masked and bearing imitation handguns and carrying gas masks, pliers and cable ties in a rucksack.

Although Mr Mills was badly injured, he managed to fight off his attackers and the pair fled, while his wife called 999 shortly after 11.30pm to report her husband had suffered a head injury and she did not know who the masked attackers were.

The bungled murder plot plan was carried out just weeks after a life insurance policy from Help For Heroes came into effect for former soldier Mr Mills, making his wife the 100 per cent beneficiary of the £124,000 payout. 

Mr Mills believed he was in a happy marriage and was stunned to find out his wife had been planning to murder him.  

At Swansea Crown Court today, Mr Justice Nicklin KC jailed both Mills, of Llangennech, Llanelli, and Berry, of Clydach, Swansea, for 19 years each for conspiracy to murder. 

Mills was also given an 18-month sentence to run concurrently for perverting the course of justice while Berry was given the same sentence for possession of an imitation firearm, a charge he previously admitted.

Thomas, of Blaengwynfi, in the Afan Valley, who the judge said had played a ‘subordinate role’ to Berry, was handed a 12-month sentence for possessing an imitation firearm, to which he too had previously pleaded guilty.

Sentencing the pair, Judge Mr Justice Nicklin KC told Mills: ‘Together with Geraint Berry you planned to kill Christopher Mills.

‘Geraint Berry may have been largely responsible for devising the method of killing your husband but you had encouraged him to execute that plan.

‘The evidence strongly suggests that in the weeks leading up to the attack you cultivated and exploited Mr Berry’s animosity towards your husband and encouraged him to find a way to get rid of him – not as some fantasy, but as reality.

‘From his text messages to you, you knew the chilling truth that Geraint Berry was on his way to Cenarth that night.

‘After the plan failed, the speed with which you set about destroying the evidence of the messages exchanged shows you knew very well that they incriminate you.’

The judge told Berry that it was clear from the items he was carrying on the night of the bungled murder plot that he intended to kill Mr Mills ‘probably by gassing him’ and to make it appear to be suicide.

‘However incompetent that plan was in its formulation and execution, and however unlikely it was to be achieved your intention was to kill,’ the judge continued. 

‘The steps you took in preparation to accomplish that aim were no fantasy. They were a chilling reality.

‘Your plan was thwarted by the remarkable fortitude and courage of Mr Mills who fought you and your accomplice off.’

Former Help for Heroes charity worker Mr Mills said he could not believe the ‘cold and calculated’ plan to murder him and believed he had a happy marriage. 

Prosecutor Nicholas Gedge said: ‘He was devastated when he was informed of the background to the incident and his wife had been having an affair with Mr Berry.

‘He no longer feels secure in his own home and has had the locks changed and CCTV installed.’

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

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.’

A fake suicide note shown to the jury was released by the CPS – addressed to ‘Dear Babs’ – Mr Mills’ nickname for his wife.

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 containing the forged suicide was found in Berry’s pocket with his lover’s DNA on the seal.

PC Jack Herbert said the forged letter contained a bogus ‘apology’ from Mr Mills which included fake admissions of ‘assault’ and ‘rape’.

The court heard wife 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.

Bodyworn footage from officers at the scene showed the men being handcuffed after being spotted by a police helicopter before the murder kit was unpacked.

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.

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, and Ethel Michelle Mills, of Llanelli, were found guilty of conspiracy to murder.

Thomas, 47, of Blaengwinfi, Afan Valley, was cleared of the same charge.

Mills was also found guilty of attempting to pervert the court of justice in relation to deleting phone messages and her account to police.

Berry and Thomas previously pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear.

David Elias KC, defending Berry, said: ‘This was a plan that was very badly thought out.

‘There was no clear plan as to how the murder was to be carried out and the attack was very easily foiled.’

Mills and Berry were jailed for 19 years each and told they must serve at least two thirds of their sentences behind bars.

Thomas was handed a 12 month sentence for his ‘subordinate role’ but had already served that time on remand.