A woman has denied conspiring with her affair partner to murder her husband, a court has heard.
Michelle Mills and her lover Geraint Berry, both 46, are on trial accused of plotting to kill her husband Christopher to claim his £124,000 life insurance policy.
Mills claimed she had ‘never discussed’ her husband’s life insurance policy – but the court heard she had complete control of the finances during their marriage.
Mills and Berry allegedly began to plot the killing just weeks after Christopher’s Help For Heroes policy came into effect. Mills was the sole beneficiary.
Swansea Crown Court heard the lovers sent 2,301 messages to each other during their three-month relationship, including discussing ways to kill her husband.
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Berry and fellow former soldier Steven Thomas, 47, are accused of raiding the couple’s caravan in Cenarth, Carmarthenshire, in September last year armed with imitation guns.
But she denied any plans to kill Christopher while claiming the discussions were all ‘fantasy’.
The court heard Berry alerted Mills that he was on the way to her caravan before he said: ‘We are here xxxx’ – and she replied: ‘Okay xxxx’
Mills told the jury: ‘I thought that it was fantasy and that he wasn’t coming down and that he was trying to reassure me and make me feel safe.’
The court heard Mills messaged Berry following the attack telling him to get away – and added: ‘Delete all communications on both phones.’
She said: ‘I honestly believed he would send me a message back “What are you on about I’m not there. What’s happened”.’
Mills later messaged ‘Are one of you bleeding? Xxxxx’ before texting: ‘Chris didn’t recognise you or the other one. I will not say a word.’
She told the court: ‘I was still hoping that he would message back. By this time he would have been asleep on his meds and I was hoping he would wake up and say what are you on about.
‘I had a sinking feeling it could possibly be Gaz.’
Mills claimed she never took her lover’s messages seriously and denied wanting to harm Christopher.
She said: ‘Gaz like to talk and tell stories. I didn’t always believe them. They were tall stories. It was very pie in the sky and fantasies. Lots of the time it was relief.
‘It was not serious and took you away from where you were at the time.’
Mills claimed she initially believed the raid on the caravan could have been carried out as revenge for her husband’s time in service in Afghanistan.
She told the court: ‘He would say that somebody is going to come and shoot me one day if they ever find out where I am because of what he had done to the “r*******” in interrogations. He said it time and time again.’
Mills said she was not expecting two men in balaclavas to raid the caravan despite Berry’s warnings that he was about to arrive.
Berry, 46, of Clydach, Swansea Valley, Thomas, 47, of Blaengwinfi, Afan Valley, and Ethel Michelle Mills, of Llanelli, all deny conspiracy to murder.
Mills also denies 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.
The trial, due to last three weeks, continues.
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