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00:00Today, an exclusive film about a botched murder plot.
00:05Police emergency.
00:06I'm covered in blood. I need assistance immediately.
00:11And how the lovers who thought it up were banged up.
00:15This is Crime Watch Live.
00:17We've been jamming the switchboard both here and at the instant.
00:22To remind you, this was the abduction and radio block campaign and the handgun debate.
00:29Hello and welcome to Crime Watch Live.
00:32People rang and giving the same numbers and press the notification.
00:43Good morning and welcome to Friday's programme.
00:46Now, your calls have been coming in thick and fast this week.
00:49Thank you for those, but it's not over yet.
00:51We have plenty more coming up.
00:53So starting with a curious mystery.
00:55The case of Ronald Ellis, who's been missing since 2010.
01:01We don't know what's happened to him.
01:03We know that this is out of character for him.
01:06He would never just get up and leave.
01:09And we're also looking for another missing man, Ali Durrani.
01:13He went for a walk one day and never returned.
01:16And his family are absolutely desperate to find out what happened to him.
01:21We'll also be talking about the dangers of ketamine with Natalie Ashton, who sadly lost her daughter to the drug
01:28and is now using her painful experience to help others.
01:33We are ready to take your calls from our studios here in the centre of Cardiff.
01:37So do get in touch.
01:38You can scan the QR code below using your phone's camera.
01:41Just follow the link.
01:42Or you can call us on 08000 468999.
01:46You can send us a text on 63399.
01:49Start with the word crime, leave a space and then write your message.
01:52Or email us and the address to do that is cwl at bbc.co.uk.
01:58Yeah, any information can be crucial for our investigations that we feature.
02:02So please do get in touch if you think you can help.
02:06First, we are going back to 2010.
02:09One night, 32-year-old Ronald Ellis simply disappeared.
02:13It's been more than 15 years.
02:16Can you help solve this mystery?
02:24I met Ronald when I was 14 and we just hit it off straight away and we realised that we
02:30had the same interests and we both liked singing and karaoke and we started to go to each other's houses
02:39and it went from there really.
02:46I just remember always laughing.
02:50I was always laughing with him.
02:54Yeah, I remember thinking, I don't laugh like he used to.
03:02And he used to call me his soulmate.
03:09He was my best friend.
03:10He was my best friend from the age of 14.
03:1634-year-old Ronald Ellis lived in Northwich, Cheshire.
03:22Ronald was a very caring person.
03:25He had a good, a close relationship with his brother Andy who had severe cerebral palsy.
03:32He wanted to be Andy's carer.
03:35In his mind, one day he was going to do that.
03:38They were in regular contact with each other.
03:41After school, he put some music on, he would do some dancing, he'd be in various costumes.
03:47I remember him did a box on the ceiling made of paper and inside it had chopped up silver shiny
03:54paper.
03:54And then when he pulled it for the finale, it would all come down over him.
03:58And I just remember Andrew being absolutely delighted.
04:02He loved doing his shows.
04:06Ronald took his performances to the stage.
04:11The last time I saw him was during the Easter holidays and he did a show.
04:17And I remember always thinking he had the most beautiful cheekbones.
04:22I thought he looked beautiful in drag.
04:25I remember him saying, when I dress like this, I get to leave Ronald behind and to be a different
04:32persona
04:33and forget him for a bit.
04:36So, I found that quite poignant.
04:39I remember, you know, when I look back and think about some of the things he said to me.
04:50On the Maybank holiday of 2010, Ronald went missing.
05:03We know that Ron enjoyed a good day out with his friend in Canal Street in Manchester
05:08and we know that he arrived at Piccadilly train station at around 2, 3pm
05:12and he travelled on his own back to Northwich, leaving his friend in Piccadilly.
05:18From Piccadilly to Northwich, it's about an hour on the train.
05:21So, we work on that Ron arrived at around 3pm or 4pm into Northwich.
05:29It's a two and a half mile journey from Northwich back to his home address
05:33and we assume Ron would have either walked or got a cab.
05:40We can be certain that Ron made it home that afternoon
05:43because the investigating team back in 2010 recovered his mobile phone from the property.
05:49We know that Ron was working and living at a sauna in Northwich,
05:55which was the old Kookaburra nightclub he worked and lived there with his partner.
06:00We believe Ron spent part of that bank holiday weekend working in the sauna with his partner.
06:06Aware of the understanding in the investigation that at some point in that bank holiday weekend,
06:11Ron had a heated discussion on his mobile phone with somebody.
06:14That heated phone call for me is an important part of the investigation.
06:19We don't know who that person is.
06:23Police can't be sure exactly when he disappeared.
06:28The investigation is working on the hypothesis that Ron may have gone missing on the 3rd of May.
06:33We do know that he's gone missing middle of the night, early hours of the morning prior to his partner
06:38waking up.
06:39The strange thing about this disappearance is we don't believe that Ron's packed a bag.
06:45We don't believe he's left with any of his property and he's even left his mobile phone.
06:50It wasn't unusual for Ron to go off on his own for short periods of time and so he wasn't
06:57reported missing until two months later.
07:02I was trying to phone him up for his birthday to wish him happy birthday and he wasn't answering and
07:09that was strange to me.
07:10So when I went to Bolton in May, I asked our mutual friends, spoke to his brother Andy, I spoke
07:20to his partner and nobody knew where he was and nobody had reported him missing.
07:28Weeks passed, I came back in July, obviously I've been trying to phone him, there was no answer and that's
07:36very out of character for him to go that long without speaking to me or speaking to Andy.
07:43So at that point, myself and my friend, we made the decision to go and report it.
07:52Police searched desperately for any leads as to Ronald's whereabouts.
07:57There was no CCTV in that area at the time.
08:01We've got no viable lines of inquiry.
08:04We've lost a lot of evidence from when he went missing to when he was reported missing, so that two
08:09month gap is really difficult to recall.
08:17For 16 years, Ronald has made no contact with any of his friends or family.
08:24His brother Andrew passed away in 2019 and I remember thinking, at that funeral, will Ronald turn up?
08:36And when he didn't, I knew something wasn't right then, because there's no way, there's no way he wouldn't turn
08:44up to his brother's funeral.
08:46To me, it felt like I'd come to a double funeral, to be honest.
08:50So it was a very emotional day for everyone involved.
09:04If I could speak to him again, I would tell him, we love you, we miss you, it's not the
09:12same without you.
09:14We don't know what's happened to him, we know that this is out of character for him, he would never
09:20just get up and leave me and his brother.
09:23He just wouldn't, he wouldn't do that, he just wasn't like that.
09:27We need to know whether he's dead or alive.
09:31If he is dead, we need to give him the send-off he deserves.
09:36Police refuse to give up the search for Ronald.
09:41We owe Ron's late family and we owe Karen a service to try and find what happened to Karen's friend
09:47and to their loved family member.
09:50This investigation's probably got the least leads I've ever had as an investigator.
09:54I'm absolutely certain that there's somebody out there that has information that will help me find out what happened to
10:01Ron or where Ron is.
10:09Well, DS Paul Davis from Cheshire and Constabulary is here with us.
10:13I saw you in the film there, so many unanswered questions here.
10:17What's your take on it? What do you know about Ronald's disappearance?
10:20Yeah, you're right, there are.
10:22We know that Ron went missing in the Maybank holiday in 2010.
10:28We know that on the Friday, which is the 30th of April, he spent his day in Canal Street with
10:34his friend.
10:34In Manchester, Ron then, we know, left his friend in Manchester Piccadilly and took the train back to Northwich on
10:42his own.
10:43And from Northwich, he went to his home address, which is where he also works, in a sauna in Northwich,
10:47which is known locally as the Kookaburra Nightclub.
10:51Yeah, so we know he went home after his trip to Manchester.
10:55But it took a while for it to be reported that he was missing, didn't it?
10:59Yeah, unfortunately, it took two months for Ron to be reported missing.
11:03You know, we knew Ron had spells of going missing for a day, maybe two days, but two months was
11:09really out of character.
11:10And I think that's why his family and his friends started to worry.
11:13Yeah, that must be hard as well, because, you know, that's the key time when you're getting evidence, isn't it,
11:17in that first few months?
11:19We've never recovered for those two months of missed evidence and missed opportunities.
11:22We missed CCTV, we weren't able to get hold of any witnesses.
11:26So it's been a really difficult start to the investigation.
11:29Is there a chance he could have just gone of his own volition?
11:32Of course.
11:34But Ron didn't pack a bag.
11:37We know that he left his mobile phone, because that was recovered by the investigating team in 2010.
11:43We know from the video that he had a brother that was severely disabled, and Ron was so doted to
11:50him, he would contact him on a daily basis.
11:53That stopped when Ron went missing.
11:56So we just don't know what's happened to Ron.
11:58Yeah, and he didn't go to his brother's funeral either, which you would say said something.
12:03Yeah, so unfortunately Andrew died in 2019, and Ron didn't turn up to the funeral, and that raised more red
12:10flags with the family and friends.
12:11So what do you want from today's appeal?
12:14So we need to appeal to any taxi driver that may have took Ron from the train station to his
12:20home address.
12:22We would like to speak to any customers of the sauna, or any workers from the sauna in 2010 that
12:28might have information for us.
12:30And certainly we appeal to the LGBTQ community, hopefully if they know Ron or have any information, that they get
12:36in touch with us as well.
12:38Yeah, and with all of these things, any tiny bit of information could be crucial for you guys, wouldn't it?
12:42Absolutely, it could, yeah.
12:43Well, thank you so much for coming in, and good luck with that.
12:46If you have any information that could point to the whereabouts of Ron, please do get in touch.
12:50The contact details are just at the bottom of the screen.
12:56Coming up later, we meet one of the volunteers helping those worse for wear on the streets of Swansea.
13:06But now we have a film that would not be out of place in a Hollywood movie.
13:10It involves two lovers, a caravan, and a plot to kill.
13:22Police emergency.
13:23I'm covered in blood.
13:25I need assistance immediately.
13:28This was clearly a vicious attack, with the intention to end his life.
13:34We are sending officers to you as quickly as possible, okay?
13:46The expectation is that life here is a lot quieter, and nothing happens here.
13:56Aggravated burglaries on caravans within this area are very, very rare, if indeed not at all.
14:05This investigation centred around a married couple, Christopher and Michelle Mills.
14:15They've been married for approximately 10 years.
14:19Christopher Mills served up to 28 years in the army, and on retiring from there, began work with this charity,
14:25Alabaire, which helps veterans who've worked in the forces.
14:30And Michelle also worked for the mental health side of that.
14:34And that's how they met and began their relationship.
14:40On the 20th of September, 2024, the couple had enjoyed a relaxing evening at their caravan in Kennerth, West Wales.
15:16Around about half past 11 that night,
15:20there was a knock at the caravan door.
15:24Chris actually said to Michelle, who could that be this time of night?
15:28And she said she wasn't sure, so directed him to open the door.
15:34As he's opened the door, there were two masked men there, and he was struck to the face.
15:42He noticed that each were armed with a gun.
15:46Chris didn't have time to think.
15:50He just instinctively fought back.
15:54He's managed to disarm the first man by removing the gun from him, get rid of that gun, as the
16:01second man has come towards him.
16:03He's managed to grab hold of the man's wrist, turning the gun towards the second man, away from himself, and
16:11pointed it towards his knee.
16:14He's fired the gun, and has noticed that that didn't fire.
16:18At that point, he's managed to remove the gun, throw it away.
16:22Christopher had now disarmed both gunmen.
16:25But the fight is still ongoing, and Chris has managed to reach up and remove the balaclava of the larger
16:31of the men.
16:33Revealing his face, but Chris didn't manage to get a good look at that, and the men have both left
16:38the caravan.
16:41Mr Mills, during the attack, has shouted to Michelle to call the police, and she has done so.
16:47But I don't believe it was done immediately.
16:49I think he's had to ask her a couple of times.
16:53Police emergency.
16:55Two armed rockers, which was broken into my caravan, I've fought them off, I've got the guns.
17:01So, did you say you've got, you've taken two guns off them?
17:05Can we get an armed response team out here now, immediately?
17:08But I need assistance, I don't know where, they might still be here.
17:12It's pitch black down here.
17:14Look, we are sending officers to you as quickly as possible, okay?
17:19Do you see what direction the male's run off in?
17:22Out to our front door, over the side of the patio, and out towards the field.
17:28Is your partner hurt?
17:31He has got damage to the front of his head. He was taken down to the floor.
17:37Police arrived on site within 30 minutes of the 999 call.
17:42When I was fighting with them two men in the caravan, you know, I was fighting not just for me,
17:47I was fighting for me and Michelle.
17:48I was thinking, you know, anything could happen here, because you just don't know.
17:53The initial officers who attended the scene remained with Michelle and Chris.
17:57They have observed a large amount of blood on the floor.
18:05The two guns that had been removed from the suspects were on the countertop.
18:11And they noticed that Chris was bleeding quite heavily from his forehead.
18:18About 47.6.
18:20We've got a caravan park.
18:22Just checking the fields now.
18:24Outside, the hunt was on to find the attackers.
18:27The search was instigated using specialist officers, such as the firearms, the helicopter, dog handler, and response officers.
18:36Go ahead.
18:37Yeah, I believe I've got two persons hiding in cover, basically off the main road from the caravan park.
18:46They're about 20 yards off the main road.
18:49The helicopter had picked up via the thermal imaging two heat sources.
18:56And as a result, guided in the officers on the ground to the location where it was believed the suspects
19:01were.
19:02Yes, yes, keep going as you are.
19:03I'll keep bearing to the left.
19:05Ten yards in front of you.
19:24Turn around and get on your knees to it now.
19:27No sudden movement.
19:28As far as you will be taken.
19:31I'll go, Captain.
19:33Yes, here, I see.
19:34Just confirm we've got people to take.
19:37Yeah, I see.
19:38You've got two males detained.
19:42When our officers were speaking with Chris the following day, they were able to tell him the name of the
19:47two suspects involved who had been arrested.
19:50One of which was Geraint Berry.
19:53His name rang a bell with Christopher.
19:57Geraint Berry was also a veteran and was a service user of the charity where Michelle Mills worked.
20:05This, as it turned out, was no coincidence and was, in fact, part of the bigger plan.
20:15That was quite a dramatic capture.
20:17And you can watch the second part of that later.
20:20Now, in the UK, someone goes missing every 90 seconds.
20:24We featured one, Ronald Ellis, earlier in the programme.
20:27Unfortunately, we've got another one now.
20:30In February 2025, Ali Durrani left home and never returned.
20:36And more than a year on from his disappearance, his family are understandably desperate to find him.
20:43I'm joined now by Sergeant Paul Horobin and PC Sean Reeve, both from West Midlands Police, who are determined to
20:49find out what has happened to Ali.
20:50Thank you both for coming in.
20:53Paul, if I can start with you.
20:54I mean, this is all just a bit of a mystery, isn't it, for you all?
20:57It is, absolutely.
20:58Yeah.
20:58He left his home address on the 5th of February last year just to go for a walk, which is
21:03something you would normally do.
21:05And 28 hours later, we capture him last on CCTV, walking around a corner.
21:09And that's the last that we've seen of him, the last that's heard of him from that point.
21:12That is it.
21:13So, Sean, can you just tell us a little bit about Ali?
21:16What do we know about him as a person?
21:17Yeah, Ali was 32 years old when he went missing.
21:20He'd be 33 now.
21:21His family described him as being very intelligent.
21:23He had a degree in economics from York University.
21:26He worked as a data scientist, although at the time of missing, he wasn't actually working.
21:31He enjoyed going for long walks, but he always returned home.
21:34Family described him as being very family-orientated, loved family.
21:38He actually missed the birth of his nephew, which was seen as very out of character.
21:44Okay.
21:44And physically, how would you describe him?
21:46Yeah, he's an Asian male, 5 foot 8 inches tall, slim build.
21:49At the time of going missing, he was wearing a khaki jacket, blue jeans and dark shoes.
21:54Okay.
21:55Paul, this is actually taken from some CCTV, and we can see those clips now.
21:58Can you just talk us through what we're seeing and when these were?
22:01Yeah, so this is the early hours of the 6th of February.
22:04So, obviously, the morning after, he's gone missing.
22:06Nice.
22:07He's at Smevik, the West Cross shopping centre.
22:09This is him withdrawing some cash.
22:10He takes £30 out in this transaction, but later on, he takes more money out.
22:15And from there, we know he travels back to the Northfield area.
22:18This is later on in the afternoon, about 1pm on the 6th.
22:21He's walking along Witchell Lane in Northfield.
22:24And this is the final piece of footage we've got of him, where he walks around the corner into Middlemore
22:28Road.
22:30And that's the last time he's seen on camera.
22:32This here, that really was the last time.
22:34So, Sean, can you just sort of recap what we've just seen and his last movements here on the map
22:39now?
22:39Yeah, absolutely.
22:40On the 5th of February last year, he leaves his home address in Selly Oak at 12.46pm.
22:45He makes his way to Smedic, which is at the top of the map, about eight miles from his home
22:50address.
22:50We don't really know what that's for.
22:52That's in the early hours of the 6th.
22:53He then makes his way back to the Northfield area, which is at the bottom of the screen of Birmingham.
22:58He withdraws £250 from a Turves Green shop at 12.59pm, quite a substantial amount.
23:05We don't really know what that was for.
23:07And then he's seen walking around the area, last sighting at 5.28pm,
23:12where he walks from West Heath Road onto Middlemore Road in the Northfield area of Birmingham.
23:16Not seen again, disappears off camera.
23:18And that was it.
23:19OK, after that.
23:20And, Paul, very often in these cases, a mobile phone can be crucial, a crucial piece of evidence to police.
23:25He did have a phone, but tell me the story with that.
23:28Yeah, he did have a white iPhone 12 that was with him when he went missing.
23:32We know from our inquiries that that's been discarded or lost at some point during his missing episode quite early
23:36on, we believe.
23:38OK, Sean, I know you've been working closely with the family.
23:41I mean, they are devastated by this, aren't they?
23:44Yeah, I've spoken to family many times, met them a few times.
23:47Lovely family, really, really struggled.
23:49It's been well over 12 months.
23:50They haven't really had any leads.
23:52They love Ali.
23:53They just need some kind of closure, which we're desperate to bring them.
23:55Just some answers here.
23:57So, Paul, today, how can our viewers help?
24:00What information do you need?
24:02Firstly, if anyone knows where Ali is, if Ali's seen this, just reach out to us and talk to us.
24:08We'd love to hear from you.
24:08We'd love to be able to tell your family that you're OK.
24:11So, please, Ali, if you're watching, call us.
24:13Obviously, if anyone knows where Ali is or has seen him since the 6th of February last year, just get
24:17in touch.
24:18Let us know.
24:19And if anyone found a white iPhone 12 in that area of Birmingham around that time last year, again, please
24:24call us.
24:24Let us know.
24:25That could hold some crucial information for our investigation.
24:26Yeah, it could be so important.
24:27And, Sean, just finally to you.
24:29I know you've worked with the family a lot and you've found out a lot of information about this man.
24:34He was a well-educated man.
24:36He'd previously had a very good job.
24:38There was no history of any kind of mental health illness that anyone was aware of.
24:42It just seemed so out of character.
24:43Yeah, totally out of character.
24:45Very out of character.
24:45The fact he's been walking around that we know of for about 28 and a half hours is quite concerning.
24:51OK, well, hopefully we can get you and the family those all-important answers.
24:55Thank you both for joining us.
24:56If you do have any information that could help Ali be reunited with his family or just point to his
25:02whereabouts, please do get in touch.
25:06Now, there has been a staggering rise in the use of ketamine, particularly between 16 and 24-year-olds,
25:14where it's grown by 231% since 2013.
25:19A big part of this is it's cheap, but the devastating effects on those that take it are often underestimated.
25:27Well, with me now is Natalie Ashton, who sadly lost her 25-year-old daughter, Beth,
25:33because of the destructive effects ketamine had on her body.
25:37Thank you so much for coming in to talk about this.
25:39I know you're doing a lot of campaign work about this, which we're going to talk about.
25:44Tell us a bit about Beth, though. What was she like?
25:46My birth. She was my best friend.
25:49She was beautiful inside out.
25:52She was intelligent, funny, articulate.
25:55Just an average 25-year-old girl.
25:59Yeah.
25:59And you think the kind of problems with the drug started when she lost a baby?
26:04Yeah.
26:06When she confided in me that she'd been using this drug six weeks before she passed away,
26:12she had told me that she'd started using after the loss of her son when she was just 19.
26:19And it helped her cope with that loss, the emotions.
26:24But it soon turned into something very sinister.
26:28Yeah.
26:29So she'd started using it when she was younger, hadn't she?
26:31So when she was, like, 14?
26:32Yeah, she was first introduced to it when she was 14.
26:35Like many young people, they think it's just a harmless party drug.
26:41But in fact, it causes severe damage to the entire body.
26:46The gallbladder, the digestive system, the bile ducts, the kidneys and the bladder.
26:52And unfortunately, when she passed away, her bladder completely collapsed.
26:57And that is not uncommon from what this drug does.
27:00And you had no idea that your daughter was using this, did you?
27:04Most people, they don't know that their child is addicted or their loved one is addicted.
27:10With any addiction comes shame and stigma.
27:13And this drug in particular is very easy for people to hide
27:17until their health issues become so severe that they're having to seek medical advice.
27:23And especially for a teenager, because some of the side effects are things
27:26which your typical teenager has, aren't they?
27:28Yeah, mood swings, secretiveness, anything like that.
27:35But the major ones are the urinary side effects,
27:40which will make a presentism going to the toilet,
27:44potentially every 10 to 15 minutes.
27:47Chronic pain.
27:50Yeah, it's just one of the worst drugs I've ever known.
27:53Yeah, and then of course, your daughter, you know, quickly declined once she went into hospital.
27:59And you thought she had an eating disorder at first, didn't you?
28:01Yeah, at first, I did.
28:03I asked her if she had an eating disorder because to me,
28:06that was the only logical explanation for why she was losing so much weight so rapidly.
28:12But that, in fact, was down to ketamine as well.
28:14And when she was admitted to hospital for the last time,
28:18she was in and out of hospital for two years prior to this.
28:24But prior to that hospital admission, I didn't know.
28:28And she told me that day, and she only lasted another six weeks before she passed away.
28:33Oh, goodness.
28:34And you didn't know about ketamine before this, did you?
28:37You didn't really know much about it.
28:39It wasn't until after she passed away that I threw myself into finding out all about this drug
28:44and support on others' families and people that are in active use and people in recovery.
28:52And the information that I've gained from these people has been invaluable
28:56to be able to raise awareness and warn people of what this drug does.
29:02Yeah, because that's your thing now.
29:03You want to make some good out of this, don't you?
29:05And you've done a lot of campaign work around that.
29:07Tell us what you've been doing.
29:08So I run some support zooms for families who are just...
29:15The thing is, with this drug, it's so isolating with any addiction,
29:19and they need someone to talk to, people that get it.
29:23So we offer that for parents and loved ones.
29:26And then we do a peer-to-peer session on Saturday
29:29to support people who are in active addiction and in recovery.
29:34Yeah, and you've got a group, haven't you? Tell us the name of it.
29:36Westlanks Ketamine Awareness.
29:38Westlanks Ketamine Awareness.
29:39And anyone from all over the country, even in the US, are coming on to our Zooms.
29:44Are they?
29:45Yeah.
29:45Wow.
29:46So from all over the world, just to find out more about it from you.
29:48Because the problem is spreading, unfortunately.
29:51It's not as bad as what it is in the UK, but yeah, it's everywhere.
29:55What would you say, you know, to people, whether it's the kids who might be using it,
30:00the parents, the grandparents, the carers, what would you say?
30:02I think if I could go back to have open and honest conversations about drugs in general,
30:11but especially Ketamine, I think that these conversations need to be as easy as having a sexual health conversation
30:20because they're so important because the long-term damages from this drug are sometimes irreparable.
30:28Yeah.
30:28So it's having that honest conversation with your kids.
30:31And are there other things you should look out for as well?
30:33Definitely.
30:35Baggies.
30:36What's that?
30:37Little plastic bags, which the drugs are usually in.
30:41White powder on the nose.
30:44Again, a lot of these emotional, like secretiveness and, you know, isolation.
30:55They can just be things that a teenager does anyway.
30:58Yeah.
30:58But again, with this drug, anyone that's suffering from mental health issues on the spectrum,
31:04this becomes quickly a safety blanket for them.
31:07Yeah.
31:07And that's what's so scary.
31:08Yeah.
31:09Well, thank you so much for coming in to talk about it because, you know,
31:12what you're doing now will help so many people and it's so important.
31:14So thank you very much, Natalie.
31:16Thanks.
31:18Now, it is the second part of how a matrimonial murder plot was unravelled by detectives
31:24and it is scandalous stuff.
31:28On September the 20th, 2024, husband and wife Christopher and Michelle Mills' caravan holiday
31:37turned into a nightmare when two masked gunmen attacked Christopher.
31:49I believe I've got two persons hiding in cover off the main road.
31:54Police found the two suspects hiding in nearby undergrowth.
31:58Turn around and get on your knees.
32:00Do it now.
32:01No sudden movements.
32:02It's half of you, she will be tased.
32:04One of them was 47-year-old Geraint Berry.
32:08Upon arrest, police seized Berry's phone.
32:13They've settled for a download and examination.
32:17As we started to complete the examination of the messages and the content held within,
32:22this is when we started to become aware of where the investigation was going to go.
32:27It immediately became clear that this was more than a robbery gone wrong.
32:32The most recent message read,
32:36Police have been called.
32:37Get away.
32:38Delete all communications.
32:40Please on both phones.
32:42I love you.
32:46That message was sent by Chris's wife, Michelle Mills.
32:54So from reading these messages,
32:56it became clear that this was more than a working relationship.
33:02And it was, in fact, an affair that had been going on for approximately three months.
33:07This relationship became intense very early on.
33:11Geraint Berry became consumed with a hatred towards Christopher Mills,
33:15and this was only encouraged and egged on by what Michelle Mills had been telling him.
33:20From analysing the phone messages, detectives could see a plot emerging.
33:26It wasn't long into the relationship before Michelle and Geraint Berry discussed getting rid of Chris for good.
33:36With Michelle expressing regret that she didn't have the courage to do it herself.
33:43Not long after that, Geraint Berry contacted a previous army colleague.
33:49We've requested that he could obtain a gun for him with bullets.
33:54And advice on how to make a Mini Cooper go boom.
34:01At the time, Chris was driving a Mini Cooper.
34:04OK.
34:05So I'm going to arrest an inspection of conspiracy to commit murder and kidnap.
34:09Not for saying anything, but I'm definitely not mentioning my question.
34:12According to, say, main evidence, OK?
34:16On the 21st of September 2024,
34:19the day after the attack on her husband,
34:22Michelle was taken into custody.
34:24I'm going to arrest you, why I need to arrest you, basically.
34:27It's to protect the vulnerable person and to prevent any harm to any other person, OK?
34:31Which vulnerable person is that?
34:33It's the Chris.
34:35Do you, obviously, it's a lot to take in.
34:37Do you understand what's happened?
34:39Do you, obviously, you're under caution,
34:41but do you understand what my colleague estate said?
34:43OK.
34:44No, I don't understand.
34:45We can repeat this, fine.
34:46So, whilst they've been here, OK, I've run information passed to me
34:50that suggests that you were involved in the incident last night and it's planned, OK?
34:55No, I don't know about that.
34:58And you are under arrest then for those defences I just mentioned.
35:02I'm going to end up in prison over this, aren't I?
35:05I don't know what's going on.
35:06I'm just under arrest no suspicion of it and I'll say you've done it.
35:09It was clear at this point that she knew it was game over.
35:14Following their arrests, all three suspects were remanded in custody.
35:19Upon his arrest, Geraint Berry had a rucksack and on search,
35:24we were able to identify two gas masks along with some cable ties.
35:31And then later on in his pocket was a sealed envelope.
35:35Within the envelope was a typed suicide note.
35:39Seemingly written by Chris and addressed to Michelle.
35:42The note was sent off for DNA analysis.
35:46And whilst that was ongoing, we continued our review of the digital evidence
35:50and the messages exchanged between Michelle and Geraint.
35:54These messages revealed several ways that had been discussed of how to end Chris.
36:01Such as fox gloves on a salad, anti-freezing gravy and smothering him.
36:07They've settled on a plan to gas Chris in the caravan and to make it look like suicide,
36:12which explains why, upon a rest, Geraint Berry had on him a gas mask
36:17used possibly to protect himself whilst committing this crime.
36:21The supposed suicide letter would help to sell the fiction.
36:26The suicide note was returned and revealed that it did in fact have Michelle Mills' DNA
36:31upon the seal of the envelope.
36:35The suicide note had been typed on Geraint Berry's laptop and forwarded by email to Michelle Mills' work laptop,
36:42which is where it was printed off and we believe placed in the envelope, which was sealed,
36:46resulting in her DNA being on the seal.
36:49They were both charged with conspiracy to murder.
36:54This evidence showed us two people clear on the intent to end the life of Christopher Mills.
37:00This left no doubts in my mind of their intention and their guilt for this crime.
37:07On the 19th of December 2024, Michelle Mills and Geraint Berry were sentenced at Swansea Crown Court.
37:16The evidence strongly suggests that in the weeks leading up to the attack,
37:21you cultivated and exploited Mr Berry's animosity towards your husband
37:28and encouraged him to find a way to get rid of him, not as some fantasy, but in reality.
37:38They were both found guilty of conspiracy to murder.
37:42Michelle Mills was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice
37:47and Geraint Berry was found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear.
37:54Both were sentenced to 19 years in prison.
37:58You know, it is like a film script.
38:00I just didn't connect.
38:02But then to find out that she's instigated it, it's terrible.
38:08Geraint Berry's accomplice was found not guilty at court for conspiracy.
38:13However, he had earlier pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear
38:17and had served 12 months.
38:20He was sentenced to 12 months for that sentence and was thereafter released that day.
38:29It's been hard. Life's been hard.
38:31A lot of things happened to me over the past 12 months.
38:34You know, I lost my job and all sorts of stuff.
38:36And it, you know, it's been, it has been horrendous.
38:43I hardly sleep at all, to be honest with you.
38:47I don't go out on my own.
38:52You know, it has affected me.
38:58I mean, she had a pretty strong reaction when she got arrested, but I'm not sure she should have.
39:03No. I mean, she licked the envelope with the suicide letter in it.
39:06That literally put her DNA everywhere.
39:08But there we are.
39:09Right, let's move on.
39:11So, there is a specialist service in Swansea, which is helping people in need on nights out.
39:17It's called Swansea Help Point and is staffed mainly by volunteers.
39:20And I'm delighted to see that one of those volunteers is with us now.
39:24Matthew, welcome to the show.
39:25So, this sounds like it's doing a lot of good.
39:28So, tell us a bit about what it is.
39:30Yes, the Gerard Davis Help Point in Swansea has been open since 2014.
39:34It's a medical facility that's jointly run by South Wales Police and St John Ambulance Cymru
39:39and provides first aid or medical cover for the nighttime economy in Swansea
39:44and also has the capabilities for the police officers to do drug testing through urine dip
39:49in cases that may present as potential spikings.
39:54It's predominantly run by volunteers as well.
39:56It's just fantastic in many ways.
39:59But what it also does is take that pressure off a lot of the other emergency services, doesn't it?
40:04Yeah, absolutely.
40:05So, our ability to respond with ambulances, paramedics, volunteers on wheelchair teams as well,
40:12take stress off the Welsh Ambulance Service, having to send out ambulances.
40:16And with our hospital avoidance, we generally save the hospitals from having unnecessary attendance as well.
40:23Wow, look at those numbers.
40:25Yeah.
40:25Yeah.
40:26And class as well, just to understand this right.
40:28So, to give an example, you could have, for example, a bouncer on a club door who sees someone
40:34who they think might be struggling.
40:35They ring this number and then the volunteers rock up with a wheelchair and basically suss them out.
40:40Yeah.
40:40So, we have the door staff and venue staff all have radios that go to a CCTV control room.
40:45And the police obviously have a police officer at the help point as well as the ambulance service with their
40:50call line.
40:50So, they'll request for medical assistance and we'll turn up with volunteers on wheelchairs who can then escalate for ambulances.
40:58Yeah.
40:58It's great, isn't it?
40:59Yeah.
41:00You should go out and do it.
41:01And it's led you into becoming, you're a student paramedic at the moment, aren't you?
41:05Yeah.
41:05Yeah.
41:05So, I originally started in 2021 wanting to go into the police.
41:09So, I started a law and policing degree, became a police volunteer down at the help point.
41:14And then from watching and observing the nurses, paramedics and other first aiders, it brought out my interest in patient
41:20care.
41:20So, that's where I've gone into this paramedic and paramedic degree and then hopefully qualifying as a paramedic soon.
41:26God, it's amazing, isn't it?
41:26Wow.
41:26So, you started off with the police, working with them.
41:29Then you worked for St John Ambulance and now volunteering here as well.
41:33Student paramedic.
41:34What keeps you going?
41:35How do you do this?
41:36The volunteering as a general, the help point's a brilliant place.
41:40It brings out into work in between all of the emergency services.
41:44It's a brilliant atmosphere there.
41:46It allows me to express my interest in first aid and patient care as well as helping loads of other
41:52people.
41:52Wow.
41:53And you're outside number 10.
41:54I saw you in one of the photos.
41:55So, that was for...
41:56Hopefully, no one needed your medical system.
41:59That was okay, right?
42:00What happened?
42:00Yeah, that was fine.
42:01That was...
42:01So, St John had been invited to go up there for some volunteer awards for those of us in the
42:07organisation that had been volunteering and going out of our way.
42:10Fantastic.
42:11So, if anyone's watching this and they fancy volunteering themselves, what would you say?
42:15Is it something you found rewarding?
42:17Are you looking for more volunteers?
42:19So, volunteering, especially at the help point, it gives you invaluable experience.
42:23It allows you to push forward and apply yourself to, for example, many of my colleagues go on to join
42:29the police or to join the ambulance service or go into healthcare professions like nurses or doctors.
42:34So, it's brilliant.
42:35Yeah, it's amazing you do it.
42:37Thank you so much.
42:37Yeah, no problem.
42:38Thanks, Matt.
42:40And thank you for watching today and all this week.
42:44And I should say, if you have been affected by any of the issues in today's programme, we have had
42:48some pretty heavy subjects, then do head over to BBC Action Line.
42:51Now, obviously, we're not on at the weekend, but remember, you can catch up on all the episodes on the
42:55iPlayer.
42:56Also, watch out for our sister series as well, Crimewatch Court.
42:59I'm going to be back on Monday with Michelle and the globe-trotting adventures of a man on the run.
43:06Corbett was an extremely dangerous man.
43:08He was on the run, living the lavish lifestyle, taunting the police.
43:13We were dealing with a very, very dangerous individual.
43:17Dangerous indeed, but he maybe should have covered his tracks a little bit better.
43:21Yeah, but the police had the last laugh.
43:22Certainly did.
43:23See you Monday, 10.45.
43:25Bye-bye.
43:25Bye-bye.
43:55Bye-bye.
43:57Bye-bye.
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