Widow says she still loves her husband who was murdered for affair he was having with his friend's wife as the killer is jailed for at least 30 years
The widow of a man shot dead by his married lover's husband said she still loves her 'best friend, soulmate and world' despite his affair as his killer is sentenced to life in prison.
Farmer Andrew Jones, 52, set a trap for Michael O'Leary, 55, in Carmarthenshire using a 'secret' mobile phone belonging to his cheating wife Rhianon, 51, and pretending to be her.
Mr O'Leary thought he was about to meet up with his lover at Cyncoed Farm in January but came face-to-face with her husband brandishing a .22 Colt rifle.
Jones shot his friend of 25 years in the face and used a digger to move his body before burning it on a funeral pyre of wooden pallets.
A judge at Swansea Crown Court today sentenced Jones to at least 30 years in prison for murder.
Former rugby player Mr O'Leary's wife Sian described her husband as her 'everything' and declared she still loved him despite the affair.
She said his infidelity was just a 'wobble' and the couple were seeking marriage guidance from relationship-support charity Relate at the time.
Andrew Jones , 53, discovered Michael O'Leary, 55, was having an affair with his wife Rhianon , 51
Former rugby player Mr O'Leary's wife Sian (pictured arriving at court) described her husband as her 'everything' and declared she still loved him despite the affair
Meanwhile, Mr O'Leary's son Wayne slammed Jones as a 'coward' and a 'monster' who sent his family on a 'wild goose chase' thinking the father-of-three had killed himself.
The court heard former rugby player Mr O'Leary and his wife Sian were going to Relate for marriage guidance at the time of the affair.
Sian said: 'We were best friends, soul mates, he was my world, my everything.
'I know Mike loved me and was there for me throughout all our marriage and that gives me great comfort.
'2019 was a trying year for us. We were trying to overcome one or two issues in our marriage - having a wobble.
'We turned to Relate for help and unfortunately ran out of time.'
Jones made the disappearance of Michael O'Leary , 55, look like suicide and then burnt his remains in an oil drum
The .22 Colt rifle used in the shooting of O'Leary. Jones shot him in the face and used a digger to move his body
Mrs O'Leary said: 'He was my husband, best friend, soulmate and world - my everything.
Jones - (his mugshot pictured) who lured his wife's lover to a secluded farmhouse to shoot him dead in cold blood - has been jailed for life for murder
'2019 was a trying year for us and we had one or two issues in our marriage but we were working on them. We ran out of time.
'I know Mike loved me and was there for me throughout our marriage. That is of great comfort to me.'
Judge Mrs Justice Nerys Jefford said: 'Michael O'Leary did something wrong. He had an affair with a wife of a man who had been his friend for many years but he did not deserve to pay for that with his life.
'I have no doubt that you felt betrayed by your wife and a man who you had known for 25 years.
'You had made the decision to get rid of Mr O'Leary and enticed him to your farm where you carried out the killing.'
Judge Jefford said Jones planned the murder in a 'calm, calculated and effective' manner and, by getting rid of the body, deprived the O'Leary family of having a funeral for the much-loved husband, father and grandfather.
A mountain bike which Jones rode back to the farm after leaving Mr O'Leary's car at a riverside car park
The Audi boot where Mr O'Leary's body was transported from the farm to his home in Carmarthenshire
Jealous killer Andrew Jones's failed attempts to cover his tracks after murdering his wife's lover
Andrew Jones, 52, was today sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Michael O'Leary, 55 - his wife's lover.
Speaking at the sentencing, Mr O'Leary's son Wayne slammed Jones as a 'coward' and a 'monster' who sent his family on a 'wild goose chase' thinking the father-of-three had killed himself.
Judge Mrs Justice Nerys Jefford said Jones planned the murder in a 'calm, calculated and effective' manner'.
Here is how Jones tried to avoid being caught:
Jones used a 'secret' mobile phone belonging to his cheating wife Rhianon, 51, and pretended to be her to lure Mr O'Leary to Cyncoed Farm for a 'cwtch' - Welsh for cuddle
Instead Mr O'Leary came face-to-face with Jones brandishing a .22 Colt rifle
Jones said he 'wanted to scare' Mr O'Leary by shooting two or three rounds into the floor.
He told the jury: 'I didn't want to shoot him dead. He said: "All right Jones". I walked over and put the gun at my hip pointing it in the air.
'He walked back and tripped backwards.
'I took the opportunity to kick him in the face so he was semi-conscious.
'When he came around, he lunged at me - the gun went off. He said "Ahh" and slumped.'
Jones then texted Mr O'Leary's wife Sian saying: 'I'm so sorry X' in an attempt to make Mr O'Leary's disappearance look like suicide.
Mr O'Leary's silver Nissan Navara was found locked and abandoned near the River Towy in Carmarthen and police divers were called in to search for his body.
But Jones, of Bronwydd, Carmarthen, burned it to destroy any evidence.
Jones piled up 24 wooden pallets and used a digger to put Mr O'Leary's body on top in the early hours of January 29 and set it ablaze in an oil drum 'over several days' in a series of 'intense' fires.
Jones admitted to using electric fans to speed up the burning. A burned piece of Mr O'Leary's intestine was recovered from the drum but his body has never been recovered.
Mr O'Leary's three sons Wayne, Philip and Simon also give victim impact statements.
In an emotional address to the court, Mr O'Leary's son Wayne said: 'You will always be remembered by us as a monster and a coward who couldn't deal with it as a man. If you had we wouldn't be here now.
'We would like to hold a funeral but Andrew Jones kept that from us and still chooses to do that. He hasn't shown any remorse - if he had he would have left us with more than a few pieces of bone.
'You sent us on a wild goose chase believing dad had taken his own life all the while thinking you had done a good job.
'Your arrogance and ego thinking you had done a good job but this is what got you caught.
'You said you thought it was the best situation for everyone if he had committed suicide - this isn't true, it was best for you.
'You have used the word "sad w*****" and "pathetic" to describe yourself. Those were the only words of truth you said during the case.'
Wayne added: 'He was an incredible dad but your actions took him away from us.
'I have to drive past your house knowing my dad’s body spent two days under a pile of rubbish before you covered your tracks.”
'What happened is unforgivable - you can’t even admit and say sorry.'
His son Simon told Jones he was 'too spineless' to face his father man-to-man and resorted to using a gun.
He told him: 'I hope the rest of your life in prison is sad and lonely.'
Mrs Jefford said he would have to serve a minimum of 30 years before he could be considered for parole.
'You are 53 years old and whatever minimum term I impose, it is likely you will spend most if not all of the rest of your natural life in custody,' she said.
'You still maintain your account of events and that can give them little comfort.'
Previously, Mrs Jones had boasted to her husband that she enjoyed sex with her secret lover more than with him - leaving the businessman, who ran building and farming companies, 'upset'.
Jones used his wife Rhianon's 'secret phone' to entice Mr O'Leary (pictured with his wife Sian) to the farm in Carmarthenshire
A barrel in Carmarthenshire where part of Mr O'Leary's intestine was recovered during the police investigation
Jones used the 'secret phone' belonging to Rhianon to entice Mr O'Leary to the farm after discovering their fling
Earlier, William Hughes, prosecuting, said: 'The destruction of Michael O'Leary's body was an attempt to hinder the police investigation. The murder was carefully planned and undertaken by Jones after he found messages on his wife's iPad.'
Jones and his love rival Mr O'Leary were friends for 25 years before the affair started in the farming village of Nantgaredig, Carmarthenshire.
When Jones discovered what was going on and confronted the mother of his three children, she told him the affair was over because Mr O'Leary would not leave his wife.
But it continued and the pair used secret phones to arrange meetings in their local gym and in country lanes and laybys.
Jones and his daughter Cari 'monitored' Rhianon's movements and phone calls after discovering she was cheating in September 2019.
Police found 'intimate and graphic messages' which were shown to the jury during the three-week murder trial at Swansea Crown Court.
Mr O'Leary thought he was about to meet up with his lover at Cyncoed Farm but came face-to-face with her husband
A picture of a forklift truck at Cyncoed Farm with Mr O'Leary's blood found on it, which was shown in court during the case
Mr Hughes said: 'The messages show the pitfalls of carrying on a clandestine relationship.'
Jones used the secret phone to send a message to father-of-three Mr O'Leary which led to his murder on January 27.
Mrs Jones, 51, boasted to her husband that she enjoyed sex with her secret lover more than with him
It told him to go to Cyncoed Farm, where he was expecting to meet Rhianon Jones for a 'cwtch' - Welsh for cuddle.
A major police search was launched when ex-rugby player Mr O'Leary failed to return home to his family in Nantgaredig that night.
Mr Hughes said: 'Michael O'Leary's body has never been recovered but on March 14 a piece of human tissue was found at Mr Jones's address.
'As part of the extensive forensic inquiries the small intestine tissue was found at the bottom of a rusty oil barrel - its DNA profile matched that of Michael O'Leary. Forensic officers said it gave the appearance of having been burned.'
Jones denied murder claiming the gun - the 'most scary' of his collection of eight firearms - went off in a 'tragic and terrible accident' during the confrontation with his wife's lover.
In tears he told the jury: 'I wanted to scare Mike. When he parked up I shot two or three rounds into the floor. I didn't want to shoot him dead. He said: "All right Jones". I walked over and put the gun at my hip pointing it in the air.
'He walked back and tripped backwards. I took the opportunity to kick him in the face so he was semi-conscious. When he came around, he lunged at me - the gun went off. He said "Ahh" and slumped.'
A forklift truck at Cyncoed Farm with Mr O'Leary's blood found on it during the investigation by Dyfed Powys Police
Jones shot Mr O'Leary (pictured with his wife Sian) and used a forklift truck to lift his body into the boot of his car
Jones and his daughter Cari 'monitored' the movements and phone calls of Rhianon , the court was told
Mr O'Leary's wife Sian received a text message that evening apparently from her husband saying: 'I'm so sorry X' in an attempt to make his disappearance look like suicide.
His silver Nissan Navara was found locked and abandoned near the River Towy in Carmarthen and police divers were called in to search for his body.
But Jones, of Bronwydd, Carmarthen, burned it to destroy any evidence linking him to his love rival's sudden disappearance.
Jones lured Mr O'Leary to the Carmarthenshire farm
Jones piled up 24 wooden pallets and used a digger to put Mr O'Leary's body on top in the early hours of January 29 and set it ablaze in an oil drum 'over several days' in a series of 'intense' fires.
Jones admitted to using electric fans to speed up the burning. A burned piece of Mr O'Leary's intestine was recovered from the drum and his body has never been recovered.
He told the jury: 'I got wooden pallets and piled them up. With the excavator I moved Mike and placed him on top of the pallet with the intention of starting a fire.
'I put cardboard packaging and papers around the pallets and got all the electric fans out.'
Jones then retrieved an old order of service from a funeral he had been to so he could give a reading as he burned the body.
He said: 'I wanted to say a few words, because I can't remember the Lord's prayer off by heart, and then I lit the fire and went to sit in the car. I left the fire burn all the way down to the floor whilst sitting in the car.'
Jones then added more fuel to the fire over a four-and-a-half hour period.
Karim Khalil QC, defending, asked the jury whether someone intent on murder would carry it out at his own property which was overlooked by neighbours and had CCTV at the entrance.
He said: 'He was not planning to kill Mike O'Leary. He was planning to meet Mike O'Leary to talk about Rhiannon and it got horribly out of control.'
Farmer and builder Jones showed no emotion when the jury found him guilty of murder by a majority verdict of 11-1 after 13 hours and 25 minutes of deliberations.
A picture of the quarry area where Mr O'Leary's body was burnt, which was shown in court during the trial of Jones
Jones piled up 24 wooden pallets and used a digger to put Mr O'Leary's body on top in the early hours of January 29
The quarry area where Mr O'Leary's body was burnt. Jones lit the bonfire which burned for four and a half hours
Mr O'Leary's wife Sian is pictured arriving at Swansea Crown Court on September 14 during the trial
An extensive search was carried out for Mr O'Leary's body at the farm in Carmarthenshire
Senior Crown Prosecutor Leighton Mawer said after the case: 'The evidence showed that Andrew Jones had carefully planned and set up the meeting at the farm, taking a rifle with him.
'Following the shooting, Jones went to considerable lengths to cover up his crime, including moving Mr O'Leary’s car and starting the pretence that the victim had taken his own life.
'A robust case was built using cell site analysis of the two men’s phones, CCTV and DNA evidence to show that Jones had moved and disposed of the body.
'The circumstances of the case are remarkable, but the most important fact is a tragic one; that a man has lost his life, leaving a family grieving. Our thoughts are with them.'
Following the guilty verdict, senior investigating officer DCI Paul Jones said: 'The team around me have worked tirelessly to get the case ready for court,” he said.
'It took a huge amount of resilience to get through the mental and physical challenges, through the initial search for Mr O’Leary and then as they sifted through material to find each tiny piece of evidence.'
He added: 'The O’Leary family are, to my mind, gracious.
'They would ask pertinent questions and raise valid points but they were always dignified and respectful.
'I can’t imagine what they have been through. The way they conducted themselves, particularly in such a tight-knit community where everyone knows everyone and there was a lot of speculation doing the rounds, was very humble.
'I hope this helps them deal with the next stage of their grieving process.'