Jealous husband 'murdered his wife's secret lover after luring him into deadly trap at secluded farmhouse using her phone'

• Andrew Jones is accused of murdering wife Rhiannon's lover Michael O'Leary
• The farmer, 52, allegedly used his wife's secret phone to lure him to his farm
• Michael's body was never discovered but buried remains were found in a barrel
• The alleged love rivals knew each other for 20 years and Jones denies murder

A husband murdered his wife's secret lover after luring him into a deadly trap at a secluded farmhouse, a court heard.

Farmer Andrew Jones, 52, is accused of using his wife Rhiannon's 'secret phone' to entice Michael O'Leary to the Carmarthenshire farm after discovering their fling.

The body of Mr O'Leary, 55, was never discovered but burned remains were found at the bottom of a rusty oil barrel on Jones's farm, a jury was told.

Prosecutor William Hughes said: 'The murder was carefully planned and undertaken by Andrew Jones who took steps to cover up and destroy evidence of his crime.

'Jones lured Michael O'Leary to a secluded farm in order to murder him.

'The destruction of Michael O'Leary's body was an attempt to hinder the police investigation.'

Jones and his love rival Mr O'Leary had known each other 20 years before the affair started in the farming village of Nantgaredig, Carmarthenshire.

Swansea Crown Court was told Jones and his daughter Carrie were monitoring Mrs Jones's movements and phone calls after discovering she was cheating in September 2019.

Mr Hughes said: 'Mr Jones became aware of the affair after finding messages on his wife's iPad.

'He confronted her and was told that the affair had ended because he (Mr O'Leary) did not want to leave his wife.'

But the court heard the relationship continued using 'secret telephones' to arrange meetings in the countryside and at their local gym.

The jury was warned texts between Mr O'Leary and mother-of-three Mrs Jones contained 'intimate and graphic' messages.

Mr Hughes said: 'A large number of WhatsApp and text messages were retrieved by the police.

'The messages show the pitfalls of carrying on a clandestine relationship.

'The defendant was keeping a close watch on his wife and at some point he appears to have confiscated her mobile phone.'

Jones allegedly used the secret phone to send a message to Mr O'Leary which the prosecution say 'ultimately led to his death' on January 27 2020.

It told Mr O'Leary to go to Jones's Cyncoed Farm, near Carmarthen, where the father-of-three expected to see his lover.

Jones sent a text to Mr O'Leary saying: 'I've left the gates open, follow the track all the way to the top, go down the dip and you'll see my car there.'

Mr O'Leary's wife Sian received a text message later that evening apparently from her husband saying: 'I'm so sorry X.'

Mr O'Leary's silver Nissan Navara was found locked and abandoned near the River Towy in Carmarthen and police launched a major search.

But Mr Hughes said: 'Michael O'Leary's body has never been recovered but on March 14 this year 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.'

Rhiannon Jones, who was in hospital at the time of the alleged murder after 'falling out of bed' had told her husband that she didn't love him any more, the court heard.

Jones, a farmer and builder of Bronwydd, Carmarthen, denies murder and the trial continues.