A jury at the moment discovered two males not responsible of conspiracy to homicide. The pair had confronted a trial on allegations that one of many males, Paul Lewis, had paid his neigbour Dominique Saunders £1,500 to rent a hitman to kill his estranged spouse.
Lewis, 54, handed the cash to Saunders, 35 to allegedly organize the killing of his estranged spouse after they broke up. However Saunders scammed grandfather Lewis out of the cash in a “fraud” – and spent the alleged hitman money on a sunshine vacation to Benidorm.
The previous mates had been accused of conspiracy to homicide Lewis’ estranged spouse Joanne Atkinson-Lewis after the couple’s breakup.And a court docket heard financial institution information confirmed Lewis withdrew £1,500 hours earlier than Saunders deposited £1,300 into his personal account.Tata Metal employee Lewis allegedly believed he had paid to “put a success” on Joanne – however was shocked when he noticed her “nonetheless respiration” at Aberavon seashore.However a jury took simply over two hours to clear the 2 males following a week-long trial.Lewis’ barrister, John Hipkin KC, stated the grandfather was “weak” attributable to poor psychological well being and had been scammed by his neighbour.Mr Hipkin stated Saunders had “merely pushed off to Benidorm with the cash”.Saunders’ personal barrister John Harrison KC stated Saunders by no means had any intention for Joanne to be harmed.
Former steelworker Paul Lewis, 54, is accused of plotting to kill his estranged spouse(Picture: WALES NEWS SERVICE)
He stated all he did was to “make some web searches and go on vacation to Benidorm”.He stated: “It has all the time been a rip-off, by no means an settlement and he is attempting to get away with fifteen hundred quid”.Merthyr Tydfil Crown Courtroom heard police launched an investigation after Lewis confessed he had “put a success” on his ex to his son.Mr Hughes stated: “Throughout a dialog Mr Lewis accepted that he entered into an settlement with Mr Saunders to rearrange for his ex-wife to be killed.“Kieran Lewis requested his father: ‘Have you ever put a success out on Joanne?’“Mr Lewis apparently broke down crying and nodded at his son acknowledging that he had made such an settlement.”Son Kieran known as police who uncovered the alleged hitman plot in messages between the 2 males who lived in the identical block of flats in Swansea.Mr Hughes stated the messages revealed: “Mr Lewis entered into an settlement during which he paid Mr Saunders £1,500 which the prosecution say was a payment to rearrange for the killing of Joanne Atkinson-Lewis.”Mr Hughes stated monetary info confirmed Lewis withdrew £1,500 from his financial institution in Swansea and on the identical day Saunders deposited a sum of £1,300 into his personal account.The 2 males, each of Swansea, denied conspiracy to commit homicide and neither gave proof of their defence.However they had been each cleared unanimously after simply two hours and 20 minutes of deliberations.
