Lover lured boyfriend into honeytrap after family paid £3k to have him murdered

05 March 2024 , 16:11

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The victim has been left scarred following the attack (Image: Sussex Police / SWNS)

A family have been jailed after they lured an ex-boyfriend into a honey trap so that a hitman could murder him for a payment of £3000.

Emma Giles, now 24, was pressured by her father, Mark Giles Snr, to cut ties with her former boyfriend. Together, they hatched a plot with her brother Mark Giles Jnr, and Sam Millis to end his life. Emergency services were called to a house in West Chiltington, Sussex, after they received reports that a man had been stabbed in the chest. The victim, aged 48, was lured down the drive of his rural home after Emma, who was his on-and-off partner, had asked him to meet.

But when he opened the gate he was attacked by an unknown assailant and was left for dead. Luckily, he managed to get back inside and contacted his neighbour who called for help. Detectives said the victim was "extremely fortunate" to have survived the knife attack on December 21, 2019.

Following an investigation, it was revealed that the victim had been in a relationship with Emma in the summer and that they had rekindled things in December 2019. However, Emma abruptly ended their relationship after her father didn't approve and warned her to stop speaking to him. She became distant from the victim but agreed to meet him four days later, where the almost-deadly attack took place.

Emma Giles hatched a plan with her brother Mark Giles Jr ( top), her dad Mark Giles Snr and Sam Millis (Sussex Police / SWNS)

Sussex Police confirmed they identified the assailant who was hired to kill the victim, but said he is no longer alive. Data they obtained showed that all four defendants were communicating with each other and were in the area at the time of the incident. Police went through the attacker's phone and found that he had discussed the police investigation afterwards.

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All four defendants were arrested and charged with conspiracy to murder and found guilty after a four-week trial which concluded on October 5, last year, at Lewes Crown Court. They were jailed for a combined amount of 45 years last month. Mark Giles Snr, 59, was sentenced to ten years while his son was put behind bars for 14 years. Millis, 46, was jailed for 14 years and Emma was sentenced to seven years.

Following the sentencing, HHJ Christine Laing told them: "The extraordinary nature of this case, and the lack of motive, does suggest you are all very dangerous people. The reason why you did so is unclear, but it does seem to revolve around the relationship between [the victim] and you, Emma Giles. It is inconceivable such a motive would lead to murder but that is the outcome you all wanted. It was a particularly poignant aspect of this case that amongst [the victim’s] first queries at the hospital was to ask had you [Emma Giles] turned up to see him as he hoped would have happened. His survival was miraculous and the long-term effects show how serious this incident was and how it will have a long-lasting impact.”

The victim's impact statement read: “The mental impact of this has left me in such a bad way that I don’t think I will ever fully recover. I don’t sleep and when I do I have dreams about what happened. The whole incident and especially the worry to do with having to give evidence at court and relive what happened again and again has led to me having to take medication for anxiety.

“The offence committed against me has significantly impacted on my day-to-day life. I used to have an active social life in the local area but now I stay away in case I see anyone that was involved in doing this to me. I can no longer do the things I considered normal.” He added: “I just can’t understand why people arranged for this to happen to me. We used to be friends and I loved one of the people involved. All I keep thinking is all of this could have been sorted out in other ways.”

Detective Sergeant Simon Smith said: “This was an extremely complex investigation into the betrayal of a man by the woman he loved, whose family would clearly stop at nothing to end their relationship. The victim in this case is extremely fortunate to have escaped with his life. Proving an offence such as this is challenging, but thanks to the tireless work of the investigation team we were able to gather enough evidence to tie all four to the crime and secure these significant custodial sentences. Had the man they paid to carry out the attack been alive, I am confident he too would have faced justice for his crimes.”

Monica Charsley