A woman and her lover have been convicted of conspiracy to murder following a violent attack on a caravan in Cenarth, Ceredigion.
Michelle Mills, 46, of Llangennech, Llanelli, and Geraint Berry, 46, of Clydach, were found guilty at Swansea Crown Court after a two‑week trial. The court heard the pair had plotted to kill Mills’ husband, Christopher Mills, so they could continue their affair.
A third defendant, Steven Thomas, 47, also of Clydach, was cleared of conspiracy to murder but had earlier admitted possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Armed raid on caravan
The case centred on events on 20 September 2024, when two masked men armed with guns forced their way into Mr Mills’ caravan. Despite being badly beaten, he managed to fight them off and raise the alarm.
Mills herself dialled 999, claiming two unknown men had attacked her husband. Armed officers, dog units and the police helicopter were deployed, and Berry and Thomas were soon found hiding in nearby undergrowth. Officers recovered gas masks and a fake suicide note addressed to Mills, purporting to have been written by her husband.
Affair uncovered
Detectives quickly established that Mills and Berry had been in a secret relationship for around three months. Digital forensic work uncovered a series of messages between them discussing ways to kill Mr Mills, including poisoning him with sleeping tablets, arranging a shooting, or causing his car to explode.
In one exchange, Berry told Mills he was meeting “boys” to plan what to do with her husband. She replied: “Yes, lovely, thank you.” The only concern she expressed was that they should not get caught.
The pair had made two aborted attempts to attack Mr Mills in late August before the September raid. On the night of the attack, Mills encouraged her husband to drink so he would fall asleep, while Berry messaged her moments before bursting into the caravan.
After the failed assault, Mills texted Berry: “Police have been called get away, delete all communications … please on both phones … I love you.”
Police response
Detective Inspector Sam Gregory of Dyfed‑Powys Police said digital evidence was crucial in proving the conspiracy.
“The communication between Mills and Berry made it clear that since the end of June 2024, the pair had embarked on a secret relationship. In a short period of time, Berry, encouraged by Mills, became increasingly occupied by hostile thoughts about her husband, and the pair had communicated a number of ways in which they could kill him.”
DI Gregory added that the discovery of gas masks and a fake suicide note showed the pair intended to stage Mr Mills’ death as a suicide.
Verdicts and sentencing
Mills was arrested shortly after the attack and told officers: “I’m going to prison for this, aren’t I?”
Following the trial, Mills and Berry were convicted of conspiracy to murder. Thomas was acquitted of that charge but will be sentenced for the firearms offence.
DI Gregory said:
“While this case has all the makings of a TV drama, at the heart of it was a very real conspiracy to take someone’s life. Mills and Berry had plotted not one, not two, but three attempts to take Mr Mills’ life, and I have no doubt they would have continued had they not been caught that night.”
All three defendants will be sentenced on 19 December 2025.
