Michael O'Leary murder accused 'moved body with forklift'

A father was lured to a remote farm with the promise of a cuddle from his lover but was met by her husband who shot him dead, a court has heard.

Michael O'Leary thought he was meeting Rhiannon Jones, but was confronted by her husband Andrew, 53, on 27 January, Swansea Crown Court was told.

After discovering his wife's secret phone, Mr Jones told police he messaged Mr O'Leary to arrange a meeting.

Mr Jones denies murdering the father-of-three on his farm near Carmarthen.

On the first of his trial on Monday, the court heard Mr Jones had used his wife's secret phone to "lure" Mr O'Leary to his death.

The jury heard Mr Jones texted Mr O'Leary from his wife Rhiannon Jones's phone: "Do you want to meet me over the farm for a cwtch?"

Prosecutors told the court Mr O'Leary was shot dead at Cincoed Farm by Mr Jones and he used a forklift to move Mr O'Leary's body before burning it.

They allege the businessman, who ran a building company, then tried to cover up what he had done by making it look like Mr O'Leary had jumped in a river.

Mr Jones parked Mr O'Leary's car adjacent to a river and sent messages to his family by saying, "I'm so sorry x", the court was told.

The jury heard Jones then rode a bicycle back to the farm before taking Mr O'Leary's body to a builder's yard adjacent to his home at Bronwydd Road in Carmarthen and burning it.

The court previously heard Mr O'Leary, from Nantgaredig in Carmarthenshire, had been reported missing after he failed to return home from work.

His disappearance sparked a major police search and while his body has never been found, the court was told detectives discovered a piece of human tissue from a small intestine at Mr Jones's home.

Mr O'Leary had started having an affair with the defendant's wife Rhiannon - who went to the same gym as him - sometime in 2019, the court had heard.

The prosecution told the jury it was their case that Mr Jones had shot Mr O'Leary at the farm before moving his body with a forklift vehicle and burning it.

Williams Hughes, prosecuting, said two firearm certificates were seized from Mr Jones's Audi A6 and eight firearms were found at his home.

Police found bullets and empty shell casings at Cincoed Farm and Mr Hughes said these were fired by one of the guns found at Mr Jones's home.

Mr Hughes told the jury that DNA analysis showed blood found on the blades of a forklift vehicle parked in a shed at the farm came from Mr O'Leary.

The court also heard bloodstains were found on a pair of jeans and trainers Mr Jones was wearing when he was arrested and on a green rugby shirt found in a washing basket at his home.

"Given those findings, you may think it's a reasonable inference to draw that Mike O'Leary was shot and killed with the rifle… and the forklift was used in some way to move his body," Mr Hughes said.

The prosecutor added it was "reasonable to conclude" Mr O'Leary's body was transported in Mr Jones's Audi A6 from Cincoed Farm to his home in Carmarthen.

The prosecutor said fires were seen taking place place over "a number of days and hours", and that some items recovered from the scene were "consistent with being burnt human bone".

In documents submitted to the court, Mr Jones accepts he had taken a rifle to the meeting with Mr O'Leary to "frighten" him.

"He accepts arguing with Mr O'Leary and it is further suggested the defendant fired two to three shots into the ground to frighten Mr O'Leary," Mr Hughes said.

"There was a scuffle and he knocked Michael O'Leary to the ground, knocking him unconscious or semi-unconscious.

"Michael O'Leary then became angry and started arguing in front of him and the defendant became concerned Mr O'Leary would overpower him.

"A scuffle broke out and Michael O'Leary grabbed the rifle and it went off and a bullet went through his chin.

"The defendant does not know who caused the rifle to go off and if he did cause it to go off, he did it accidentally. Michael O'Leary died instantly, and he then panicked."

The trial continues.