Wife denies trying to hire hitman

Jane Jones denies soliciting a man to kill her husband

A woman only married her husband for his money and then tried to persuade lovers to kill him, a court has heard.

Jane Jones, 37, allegedly asked two lovers to kill her 60-year-old husband, and offered a friend "a quick £20,000" to do the same.

Police used wire-taps concealed on the friend to record conversations with Mrs Jones, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

Mrs Jones, of Blackrock, Monmouthshire, denies soliciting a man to kill her husband. The trial continues.

The court heard how Mrs Jones' marriage to village chemist Francis Jones was "entirely financially motivated" and that she could have inherited £2m from his death.

Prosecuting, Mark Evans QC said: "Jones claims her requests to have her husband killed were pure fantasy - but this case goes way beyond pure fantasy.

'End husband's life'

"She was penniless and unhappy from a previous marriage and was having to look after a severely handicapped child.

"But soon into her marriage to Mr Jones she became frustrated and started a string of affairs with men she wanted to end her husband's life."

Mrs Jones could have inherited £2m from husband Francis

Mr Evans said that to a large extent the motivation for the marriage was financial and her conduct was relevant to the case.

He said: "Some aspects of her conduct were indeed quite sensational."

The court was told Mrs Jones had extra-marital affairs, including with her husband's eldest son on her wedding day, and on one occasion threw a packet of mints with her telephone number on to a worker on a building site.

Mrs Jones, the jury heard, first had an affair with ex-SAS soldier Bob Routledge who looked after horses at a stables she used.

"Jones was interested in his background. She wanted to know if he had ever killed someone and asked if he knew anyone who could kill her husband," Mr Evans said.

"But Mr Routledge ended the relationship because of Jones' demands."

The hearing was told how Mr Jones bought his wife a house of her own so she could live away from him because the marriage was not working.

'Stage accident'

Mrs Jones became friendly with her son's carer Deborah Benjamin, and who introduced her to her next lover Lenny Loveridge.

Mr Evans said: "Jones told Miss Benjamin about her unhappiness in her marriage. She also told about wanting someone to run her husband off the road."

She is alleged to have told Mr Loveridge, who had financial troubles, that if he "cracked [Mr Jones] over the head", he would never have to worry about work again.

He ended the relationship after she made the request, the court heard.

Miss Benjamin, who claimed she was herself offered "a quick £20,000" to get rid of Mr Jones contacted the police.

'String of lovers'

She was equipped with a recording device which taped her conversations with Mrs Jones.

Miss Benjamin later told the court Mrs Jones would have inherited £2m from her husband's death.

She said Mrs Jones had a "string of lovers" throughout her marriage, including her husband's son, Magnus, who she allegedly had sex with on their wedding day in 1998.

Magnus died in a car crash in 2001.

Miss Benjamin said: "She told me she had slept with Magnus and at the same time chatted up a builder called Darren.

"She drove past his building site in her soft-top Saab and stuck her telephone number in a packet of polo mints which she threw into the site."

'Deep gorge'

Miss Benjamin added that Mrs Jones discussed how she wanted her husband to be killed.

She said: "She would mention a deep gorge on his drive back from work that would be perfect for the job.

"She told me: 'I wish to Christ he'd just have an accident on his way back from work.'"

Mrs Jones of Blackrock, near Abergavenny, denies the charge against her and the case continues.