A woman and her secret lover have been handed lengthy prison sentences for conspiring to murder her husband in a plot that involved a brutal assault and a faked suicide note.
The Foiled Attack and Police Investigation
On 20 September last year, police were called to a caravan in Cenarth, Ceredigion, South Wales, following reports of masked men armed with guns. The assailants, who were later identified as Geraint Berry and Steven Thomas, had entered the property and assaulted the occupant, Christopher Mills. Despite sustaining serious injuries, Mr Mills managed to fight off his attackers, who then fled the scene.
His wife, Michelle Mills, 46, placed an emergency call, reporting her husband's head injury and claiming the perpetrators were strangers to her. However, a police helicopter quickly located Berry, 46, and Thomas, 47, hiding in nearby undergrowth.
Chilling Evidence of a Conspiracy
Upon searching the two men, officers discovered incriminating items including gas masks and a fabricated suicide note. The note was addressed to Michelle Mills and was designed to appear as if written by her husband. This evidence swiftly led police to connect Mills herself to the sinister plan.
Digital forensic analysis revealed that Michelle Mills, from Llangennech in Carmarthenshire, and Geraint Berry had been engaged in a secret relationship for approximately three months. Their messages contained explicit discussions about various methods to kill Christopher Mills, cementing the case of conspiracy against them.
Court Verdicts and Sentences
Following a trial at Swansea Crown Court in October, Michelle Mills and Geraint Berry were both found guilty of conspiracy to murder. In December 2025, the pair were each sentenced to 19 years in prison.
A third individual, Steven Thomas, 47, was found not guilty of the conspiracy charge. He did, however, plead guilty to a firearms offence. Thomas was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment but was released immediately due to time already served while on remand.
The court heard that the motive for the plot was to allow Mills and Berry to continue their affair unimpeded after the murder of her husband, a plan that was ultimately thwarted by Mr Mills's resilience and a rapid police response.
