Hitman case 'wasted money' claim

Jane Jones was cleared of wanting her husband killed

The boyfriend of a woman cleared of plotting to kill her millionaire husband has complained about the decision to prosecute, say police.

Jane Jones, 37, from Blackrock, south Wales, was found not guilty of soliciting Francis Jones' murder.

Keith Meloy said the trial was a waste of money and claimed police told him the investigation cost over £1m.

Gwent Police said it had received his complaint but said the final cost of the inquiry was not available.

During the eight-day hearing, Mrs Jones was accompanied in court by her current partner Mr Meloy, whom she met over the internet.

He told the South Wales Argus the case "should never have made it to court".

He sad: "A huge amount has been spent for nothing and it has undermined my confidence in the police.

"Jane is a beautiful, gentle soul who focuses most of her energy on caring for her disabled child - it was obvious that she was never capable of hurting anybody".

A Gwent Police spokeswoman confirmed a letter of complaint had been sent by Mr Meloy and that they would make contact with him to discuss it.

Mrs Jones was accompanied in court by her boyfriend Keith Meloy

"The serious allegations in this case needed to be investigated fully," the spokeswoman said.

"The Crown Prosecution Service, having considered all of the evidence available, shared our view that this matter should be put before the court for its consideration."

She added that the final cost of this investigation was not available.

"However, in deciding the resources committed to any inquiry, careful consideration is given to the seriousness of the offence under investigation and to the perceived threat to members of the public."

The eight-day trial at Cardiff Crown Court heard details of Mrs Jones' string of affairs, during her marriage to her 60-year-old pharmacist husband, who was a "self-confessed workaholic".

Among her lovers was an ex-SAS soldier and a builder whom she had sex with in woods after throwing him her telephone number written on a pack of mints, jurors were told.

The trial also heard she even had a relationship on her wedding day with husband's eldest son Magnus, who later died in a car crash.

Husband Francis Jones runs a pharmacy in Llanhilleth

The prosecution told the jury Mrs Jones had suggested her husband should be killed and that a fee of £20,000 was "raised on a number of occasions to different people".

Giving evidence, the mother of a disabled son from an earlier marriage, told jurors that she was a "brazen hussy" and "lousy wife".

But she denied ever wanting her husband, who ran a pharmacy in Llanhilleth, south Wales, dead, saying she had been "very fond" of him.

After she was cleared she apologised to her husband for the pain she had caused and said she had "learned a valuable lesson".