A vengeful husband paid a neighbour £1,500 to organise the assassination of his ex-wife after she divorced him, a court heard.
Paul Lewis, 54, allegedly plotted to hire the hitman to execute his estranged wife of 10 years, Joanne Atkinson-Lewis, over divorce proceedings two years earlier.
Former steelworker Lewis is accused of handing neighbour Dominique Saunders, 35, the £1,500 cash ‘in good faith’ to arrange the assassination.
A court heard Saunders told Lewis there were photos and GoPro footage of the murder – and Lewis repeatedly asked to see it.
But Lewis was stunned when weeks later he saw Joanne ‘still breathing’ at a nearby beach.
Prosecutor William Hughes KC said police were called after Lewis allegedly confessed the murder plot to his son Kieran and his girlfriend Sydney West.
Mr Hughes said: ‘During a conversation Mr Lewis accepted that he entered into an agreement with Mr Saunders to arrange for his ex-wife to be killed.
‘Kieran Lewis asked his father: “Have you put a hit out on Joanne?”.
‘Mr Lewis apparently broke down crying and nodded at his son acknowledging that he had made such an agreement.’
Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard Miss West then confronted Saunders at his flat – and told him to return the money.
But Saunders allegedly told her he ‘had already given the money to someone else and couldn’t give the money back.’
Mr Hughes said Miss West asked Lewis: ‘Do you understand you have paid someone to take someone’s mother away? Paul Lewis replied “yeah I know”.’
Son Kieran called police who uncovered the alleged hitman plot in messages between the two men who lived in the same block of flats in Swansea.
Mr Hughes said the messages revealed: ‘Mr Lewis entered into an agreement in which he paid Mr Saunders £1,500 which the prosecution say was a fee to arrange for the killing of Joanne Atkinson-Lewis.’
Mr Hughes said financial information showed Lewis withdrew £1,500 from his bank in Swansea and on the same day Saunders deposited a sum of £1,300 into his own account.
Messages between the two men in the following days showed Lewis repeatedly saying he had given Saunders £1,500 ‘in good faith’ and demanding to ‘see the Go Pro’ showing the alleged hit had been carried out.
One message from Saunders read: ‘Death becomes her.’
The jury was told Lewis later messaged Saunders to say he had ‘seen Joanne on Aberavon Prom and she was ok.’
Saunders replied: ‘Are you 99 per cent sure?’
Lewis said: ‘I am 100 per cent sure.’
A day later Lewis messaged his neighbour again saying: ‘I want her out.’
Mr Hughes said the two men fell out after Lewis believed he had been scammed of his money and failed to collect Saunders from the airport following a holiday.
One message from Saunders said: ‘You mad or what? How have I scammed you? The bloke got your money to do work. I ain’t got a thing so tell me how I scammed you.’
Lewis replied: ‘She is still breathing. Your story keeps changing. You said there were pictures on your phone, then it was on the GoPro.
‘I’ve not even seen the pictures you’re a liar.’
Mr Hughes said: ‘Those series of messages clearly demonstrate, we, say, Mr Lewis and Mr Saunders entered into a criminal agreement where Mr Lewis agreed to pay and did pay Mr Saunders £1,500 to facilitate the murder of Joanne Atkinson-Lewis.
‘A reasonable interpretation is that Mr Saunders led Mr Lewis to believe he had paid a hitman to carry out the act and he had photographs on his phone or on his GoPro device.
‘However once Paul Lewis saw his ex-wife was still alive and breathing on Aberavon Beach he realised the criminal agreement he made with Dominque Saunders hadn’t been carried out.’
The two men, both of Swansea, deny conspiracy to commit murder.
The trial before judge Mr Justice Nicklin continues at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.
