Neighbour 'scammed husband out of £1,500 saying he'd hire hitman to kill his wife - but instead blew the cash on holiday to Benidorm'
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.
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.'
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.
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Scottish Sun
14 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Neighbour ‘took £1.5k to hire hitman to kill pal's wife… before he ditched job and spent cash on Benidorm hols'
The court heard gobsmacking details about the alleged plot BOTCHED BID Neighbour 'took £1.5k to hire hitman to kill pal's wife… before he ditched job and spent cash on Benidorm hols' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A NEIGHBOUR scammed a husband by taking £1,500 to pay for a hitman to kill his wife which he splashed on jetting off to Benidorm, a court heard. Paul Lewis, 54, is accused of paying the money to his neighbour to arrange the killing of his estranged wife after the pair split two years earlier. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Paul Lewis, 54, allegedly paid his neighbour £1,500 to find a hitman to kill his wife Credit: WNS 4 Saunders, 35, allegedly claimed the hit had been carried out Credit: WNS Dominique Saunders, 35, allegedly told Lewis that the job was done and said there were photos and GoPro footage of the killing to prove it. But Lewis, a former steelworker from Swansea, was stunned to find his ex, Joanne Atkinson-Lewis, "still breathing" at a nearby beach. Saunders, known locally as "Dippy Dom", was allegedly stringing Lewis along before splashing the cash on a Benidorm holiday. Lewis' barrister, John Hipkin KC, told the court the grandfather was "vulnerable" due to his poor mental health and 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. All he did was "make some internet searches and go on holiday to Benidorm", he said. Prosecutor William Hughes KC said cops launched an investigation after Lewis confessed he had "put a hit" on his ex to his son, Kieran. 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." Lewis' son Kieran called the police on his dad who uncovered the alleged hitman plot in messages between the two men, who lived in the same block of flats in Swansea. Hughes said the messages revealed that: "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." Hughes added that 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. Horror moment tree surgeon bites off EAR of 'bar-room bore' and spits it on the floor in gruesome pub brawl Messages between the two men in the following days showed Lewis repeatedly saying he had given Saunders £1,500 "in good faith" and demanded 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 confirmed: "I am 100 per cent sure." A day later Lewis messaged his neighbour again saying: "I want her out." The two later fell out after Lewis believed he had been scammed from 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." Prosecutor Hughes said: "Those series of messages clearly demonstrate 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 from Swansea both 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 will continue at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court. 4 Paul Lewis split from his wife two years previously Credit: Athena
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Neighbour 'scammed husband out of £1,500 saying he'd hire hitman to kill his wife - but instead blew the cash on holiday to Benidorm'
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. 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.' 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.
Wales Online
a day ago
- Wales Online
Man accused of conspiring to get hitman to murder wife chooses not to give evidence
Man accused of conspiring to get hitman to murder wife chooses not to give evidence Paul Lewis and his neighbour Dominique Saunders are said to have agreed to secure the services of a hitman Both defendants deny conspiracy to murder and are on trial at Merthyr Crown Court (Image: MEDIA WALES ) A man accused of plotting with a neighbour to get a hitman to kill his estranged wife has opted not to give evidence at his trial - as has the neighbour he is alleged to have come to the agreement with. Swansea men Paul Lewis and Dominique Saunders are said to have agreed to secure the services of a killer-for-hire to murder Lewis' former partner Joanne Atkinson-Lewis, with Lewis handing over £1,500 to pay for the "hit". No such attack on Miss Atkinson-Lewis was ever carried out. Both defendants deny conspiracy to murder and are on trial at Merthyr Crown Court. At the conclusion of the prosecution case John Hipkin KC for Lewis and and John Harrison KC for Saunders said their respective clients would not be giving evidence nor calling any evidence. It is the prosecution case that between February and April 2023 Lewis entered into an agreement with his neighbour Saunders to arrange for someone to kill Miss Atkinson-Lewis following the breakdown of their 10-year marriage, and that Lewis paid his co-defendant £1,500 to facilitate it. The jury heard that Miss Atkinson-Lewis was not, in fact, murdered but the alleged offence is the conspiracy - that is the agreement - between the two defendants intending that the act be carried out. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter Article continues below The jury has been shown text messages between the defendants during the period of the alleged conspiracy which the prosecution say show the conspiracy. In the messages Lewis said "I want her out" and "death becomes her" and told Saunders on a number of times, "I paid money in good faith". In other messages Lewis said he had "seen Joanne on Aberavon beach and she looked okay" and said "she is breathing" and continually asked to see footage of something he believed had been filmed on a GoPro camera. The jury has also seen details of internet searches made by Saunders which featured queries about guns and shooting ranges, and searches linked to the address of Miss Atkinson-Lewis. The court heard Lewis came to believe he had been scammed by his neighbour and the defendants - who lived in the same block of flats in Swansea Marina - subsequently had a falling out with Saunders telling Lewis to "grow a pair of balls" and saying: "I'll send you that bloke's number and you can get your fifteen hundred back. Don't ask me to help again. I'm out." The jury has heard that the alleged murderous plot came to light when Lewis' son Keiran Lewis went to his dad's flat on April 29, 2023, his partner Sidney West due to concerns about the defendant's mental health. The court heard the son examined his father's phone and then asked him directly if he had put a "hit" on Joanne. Mr Lewis told the jury his father "gave no reply, just a nod of confirmation and broke down crying in front of him". In her evidence Ms West told the court she asked the defendant "Do you understand you've paid someone to take someone's mother away?" and he replied "Yeah". The jury has also heard that on March 22, 2023, Lewis withdrew £1,500 from his bank in Swansea city centre and hours later Saunders paid £1,300 into his account, and that in May 2023 Lewis phoned South Wales Police to say his neighbour had scammed him - Lewis was advised that the dispute between them was a civil matter. The jury has also heard that during 2021, 2022, 2023 Lewis spent prolonged periods as an inpatient in psychiatric hospitals in Swansea and Port Talbot, completing his last hospital stay on March 20, 2023. Though the defendants have chosen not to give evidence, the jury did hear opening statements from their barristers. John Hipkin KC, for Lewis, said in the 18 months to two years before April 2023 his client had been struggling with his mental health and was "vulnerable" and "an ideal target for those who might financially take advantage of him". He said there was no dispute that his client had paid Saunders £1,500 but asked the jury to consider if somebody who had paid money to arrange for his ex-wife to be killed would subsequently call police to complain that he had been scammed and would make enquiries about taking action in the small claims court to recover the money, both of which he said Lewis had done. The barrister said whatever Lewis may have thought or intended, the defence would say that Saunders set about scamming Lewis and took the £1,500 then "simply pushed off to Benidorm with the money". In his opening statement for Saunders, John Harrison KC told the jury that a conspiracy requires an agreement and that it is his client's case that there was no agreement of any kind between the two men. He said all the defendant did was "make some internet searches and go on holiday to Benidorm". The barrister said there was no evidence Saunders knew a hitman or knew how to contact one, and no evidence he had ever supplied the number of a hitman. The barrister said the defence will argue that the prosecution evidence is "wholly insufficient" and he told the jurors that it would be reasonable for them to conclude, as the co-defendant had come to believe, that Saunders had scammed Lewis out of £1,500. In brief legal directions the judge Mr Justice Nicklin told the jurors they would have to find both defendants guilty or both defendants not guilty, he told them he could not find one guilty and one not guilty. Paul Lewis, aged 54, and Dominique Saunders, aged 35, both of Fishmarket Quay, Swansea Marina, Swansea deny conspiracy to murder. The trial continues. Article continues below
