Woman jailed for plotting with lover to murder husband in caravan and make it look like suicide
A woman and her lover who plotted to kill her husband so they could continue their affair have both been jailed for 19 years.
Michelle Mills and Geraint Berry planned to murder Christopher Mills and make it look like suicide.
They were found guilty of conspiracy to murder after a trial at Swansea Crown Court in October.
Michelle Mills and Geraint Berry
Christopher Mills fought off his attackers. Pic: Dimitris Legakis/Athena Pictures/Shutterstock
A third person, Steven Thomas, was found not guilty of conspiracy to murder but pleaded guilty to a firearms charge.
Police were called on 20 September last year to reports that masked men carrying guns, later found to be Berry and Thomas, had raided a static caravan in Cenarth, Ceredigion.
Despite being badly beaten, Mr Mills was able to fight them off and they fled.
Michelle Mills, 46, called 999 to say her husband had a head injury and claimed she did not know the armed men who broke in.
Armed officers and a dog unit responded, and a police helicopter soon spotted Berry, 46, and Thomas, 47, hiding in undergrowth.
Gas masks and a fake suicide note were found on Berry and Thomas
While searching Berry and Thomas, officers found gas masks and a typed suicide note addressed to Mills purporting to have been written by her husband.
Police quickly established that Mills, of Llangennech in Carmarthenshire, was linked to the plot.
Digital evidence revealed she and Berry – a former Royal Marine – had been in a secret relationship for around three months and had discussed ways to kill Mr Mills.
These included killing him with sleeping tablets, suffocating him in his sleep and poisoning him with antifreeze.
Berry also looked into how to make his victim’s Mini explode on start up.
Police said when Berry told Mills he was meeting with some “boys” to plan “what they are going to do with him”, she responded: “Yes, lovely, thank you.”
Imitation guns, pliers and cable ties were also part of the plotters’ kit
Gas masks were ‘to set up a fake suicide’
Detective Inspector Sam Gregory said: “Berry and Mills had previously discussed using gas to kill Mr Mills, while making it look like he had taken his own life.
“Berry had asked Mills where the boiler was, and he and Thomas carried gas masks that would have protected themselves while Mr Mills suffocated.
“No explanation has been given by any of the three defendants for the fake suicide note or the gas masks in the rucksack.
“What’s clear is that these were not being used to frighten Mr Mills – they were there to set up a fake suicide.”
DI Gregory said the victim had no idea his wife of 10 years wanted him dead and believed they had a happy marriage.
An image taken from police bodyworn video showing Michelle Mills’ arrest. Pic: PA
‘Your intention was to kill’
Judge Mr Justice Nicklin KC said the pair had not shown any remorse and they were only concerned with not getting caught.
“You devised the plan and led its execution,” he told Berry.
“You recruited Steven Thomas to assist you and while intoxicated, you equipped yourself with items that demonstrated your intention to kill Mr Mills and make it appear to be a suicide.
“However incompetent the plan was and how unlikely it was to be achieved, your intention was to kill.”
Read more from Sky News:
Teen to face trial over murder of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe
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The judge told Michelle Mills she had encouraged her lover.
He said: “The evidence strongly suggests in the weeks leading up to the incident, you cultivated and exploited Geraint Berry’s animosity towards your husband and encouraged him to find a way to get rid of your husband, not in fantasy but reality.”
The judge also praised Mr Mills’ “remarkable fortitude and courage” in fighting off the pair.
Steven Thomas was sentenced to 12 months but will be released immediately due to time served on remand.
Former British heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua delivered a dose of reality to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul as he won their much-anticipated showdown.
Joshua scored three knockdowns before landing a huge right hit on Paul halfway through the sixth round.
The British fighter lifted Paul’s hand in a show of respect after the fight broadcast on the streaming platform Netflix.
Joshua landing the right hit that knocked out Paul. Pic: AP
“Jake Paul has done really well tonight. I want to give him his props, he got up, time and time again,” he said about his opponent.
Joshua said it “wasn’t the best performance”, adding: “It took a bit longer than expected. But the right hand finally found the destination.”
Joshua celebrating his win after the fight. Pic: Reuters
Meanwhile, Paul said: “I’m feeling good, that was fun. I love this sport. I gave it my all, It’s f****** crazy. I had a blast.
“I got my ass beat, but that’s what this sport is about. I’mma (going to) come back and keep on winning.”
He added: “I just got tired to be honest. He did amazing and hits really hard.”
Jake Paul was knocked down three times before the final knockout in the sixth round. Pic: Reuters
The fight marked the end of a 14-month hiatus for Joshua, 36, while for 28-year-old Paul it was the biggest fight since his boxing career began in 2020.
At the weigh-in on Friday, Joshua boasted an almost two-stone advantage over Paul, who has regularly fought at cruiserweight since he entered the world of boxing.
Britain’s two-time world heavyweight champion tipped the scales at 243.4lbs (17st 5lbs) for his fight against Paul in Miami, while Paul weighed in at 216lbs (15st 6lbs) – a hefty 1.9st difference.
Joshua, who could not weigh more than 245lbs, is the lightest he has been since his first fight against Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021 when he was 240lbs. For his last fight against Daniel Dubois he weighed 252.5Ibs.
Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua at the weigh-in. Pic: Reuters
It is also only the second time that Paul weighed in over cruiserweight limit – the other time was when he fought 58-year-old Mike Tyson. Paul defeated Tyson by unanimous decision with 80-72, 79-73, and 79-73.
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Family of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe pay tribute to ‘beautiful soul’ as teen appears in court charged with murder
The family of a nine-year-old girl stabbed to death have said she was a “beautiful soul” who was brave, kind-hearted and “always put a smile on people’s faces”.
Police were called to Lime Close in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, just before 6.10pm on Monday, where Aria Thorpe had suffered a single stab wound.
The child was pronounced dead at the scene.
In a tribute released by Avon and Somerset Police on Friday, the girl’s family on her mother’s side said: “For those who didn’t have the privilege of knowing Aria, she was the most beautiful little soul – happy-go-lucky, full of light, and joy.
“She loved to sing and dance, and she took such pride in dressing up, always wanting to look just like her mummy.”
Tom Thorpe, the girl’s father, said: “It’s hard to put into words how devastating it is, our little Aria, that you’re up there with the angels looking over us.”
It comes as a 15-year-old boy charged with Aria’s murder appeared in court.
Pic: Avon and Somerset Police
Aria was a ‘precious girl’
In their statement, Aria’s family on her mother’s side said her death “has devastated us beyond words”.
“Our hearts are broken in a way we never imagined possible,” they added.
“As a family, we are holding one another close and doing everything we can to support each other through this unimaginable time.”
They said they were “truly touched by the lovely messages we have received”, before asking “that our privacy is respected, as we try to come to terms with the terrible loss of our precious girl”.
Flowers laid in memory of the young girl
‘Wacky ways and outright madness’
Mr Thorpe said: “How sad it’s going to be not hearing ‘Dad, how long left?’ on our long journeys back and forth at weekends.
He then said that Aria was “such a brave, kind-hearted and a beautiful innocent soul”, and “always put a smile on people’s faces with your wacky ways and just outright madness”.
Mr Thorpe added: “Your other little family down here in Portsmouth will forever miss you.
“We’ll miss you begging to go outside, even in the pouring rain just to have as much fun as possible in the little time we had at weekends.
“You will be greatly missed, you special little angel. A life gone far too early but I hope a life lived well. We all love you dearly. Goodnight darling.”
Teenager in court
Meanwhile, a 15-year-old boy charged with Aria’s murder appeared at Bristol Crown Court on Friday, where he was remanded.
The teenager, who cannot be named because of his age, was arrested in the Somerset village of Worle at 6.19pm on Monday.
He is next due in court on 16 March 2026. Appearing via video link from youth detention accommodation, he spoke only to confirm his name.
Judge Peter Blair KC set a provisional trial date for 15 June during the hearing.
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