A neighbour scammed a husband by taking £1,500 to pay for a hitman to kill his wife – and splashed it out on a holiday to Benidorm, a court heard.
Paul Lewis, 54, is accused of handing over the cash to Dominique Saunders, 35, to arrange the murder of his ex-wife, Joanne Atkinson-Lewis, over divorce proceedings two years earlier.
Saunders allegedly claimed the hit had been carried out and even told Lewis there was photo and video ‘proof’ of the killing.
But the twisted tale unravelled when the former steelworker from Swansea saw Joanne ‘still breathing’ just days later at a beach.
A court heard that instead of organising a hit, Saunders allegedly pocketed the cash and jetted off to Benidorm for a holiday.
Lewis’s barrister, John Hipkin KC, told the court his client was a ‘vulnerable’ grandfather suffering from poor mental health who had been scammed by his neighbour.
Mr Hipkin said Saunders had ‘simply pushed off to Benidorm with the money’.
Saunders’ own barrister, John Harrison KC, said Saunders never had any intention for Joanne to be harmed.
HUSBAND: Paul Lewis, 54, is accused of handing over the cash to his neighbour to kill his wife
NEIGHBOUR: Dominique Saunders, 35, pictured, is alleged to have instead pocketed the cash and jetted off to Benidorm for a holiday
WIFE: But just days later, Paul saw his ex-wife, Joanne Atkinson-Lewis, pictured, on the beach
He said all he did was to ‘make some internet searches and go on holiday to Benidorm’.
Prosecutor William Hughes KC said police launched an investigation after the grandfather confessed he had tried to get his estranged wife killed to his son, Kieran.
Mr Hughes said: ‘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.’
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.’
Documents showed that Lewis took £1,500 from his bank account in Swansea and on the same day Saunders deposited £1,300 into his own account.
Messages between the duo in the following days showed Lewis repeatedly saying he had given Saunders £1,500 ‘in good faith’ and demanding to ‘see the Go Pro’.
One message from Saunders read: ‘Death becomes her.’
The jury was told that 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.’
Lewis, handed the bounty to neighbour Dominique Saunders, pictured, it is alleged (pictured on Tuesday)
Lewis allegedly confessed the murder plot to his son Kieran and his girlfriend Sydney West
A day later, Lewis messaged his neighbour again saying that he wanted ‘her out’ but the two later fell out as Lewis believed he had been scammed out of his money.
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.’
The prosecution argues that these messages show that the two had agreed that Lewis agreed and ended up paying Saunders for him to murder Ms Atkinson-Lewis.
Mr Hughes added: ‘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 had made with Dominque Saunders hadn’t been carried out.’
The two men, deny conspiracy to commit murder, and one cannot be found guilty without the other.
Neither chose to give evidence in their defence.
The trial before Judge Mr Justice Nicklin continues at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court.
