Five people have pleaded not guilty to murdering a woman who was shot dead in South Wales. Joanne Penney, 40, was pronounced dead after suffering fatal injuries at an address in Talbot Green on March 9.
Seven defendants appeared before Cardiff Crown Court on Monday to deny charges in connection with her death. The case involves allegations of organised crime activity spanning nearly a year.
Multiple defendants deny charges
Joshua Gordon, 27, Marcus Huntley, 20, Jordan Mills-Smith, 33, Kristina Ginova, 21, and Tony Porter, 68, all pleaded not guilty to murder. Gordon, of Oadby, Leicestershire, and Huntley, from St Mellons, Cardiff, also denied participating in the activities of an organised crime group between March 11 2024 and March 11 this year.
Mills-Smith, from Pentwyn, Cardiff, Ginova, from Oadby, Leicestershire, and Porter, from Braunstone Town, Leicestershire, pleaded not guilty to the same organised crime charge. Two additional defendants, Sai Raj Manne, 25, of no fixed address, and Molly Cooper, 33, from Leicester, also denied participating in organised crime activities.
Firearms charges denied
Manne pleaded not guilty to possessing, purchasing or acquiring a firearm, namely an 8mm calibre self-loading pistol modified to enable the discharge of ammunition without legal authority. Cooper denied possessing, purchasing or acquiring ammunition, namely 16 live 8mm calibre blank pistol cartridges reloaded with improvised projectiles, without having a firearms certificate.
An eighth defendant, Melissa Quailey-Dashper, 39, from Leicester, is also charged with Penney's murder but did not attend court on Monday. Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff, heard that a nine-week trial is due to begin on October 20 this year.
Inquest reveals shooting details
She remanded the defendants in custody ahead of the next hearing in the case. An inquest into Penney's death which opened in March was told she died after being shot in the chest at an address in Llys Illtyd, in Talbot Green, causing injuries to her heart and lung.
Emergency services found Penney with serious injuries and she was pronounced dead. In a tribute issued after her death, Penney's family said: "We are devastated by the tragic loss of our beloved Joanne. She was a daughter, mother, sister and niece - loved deeply by all who knew her. Her kindness, strength and love for her family will never be forgotten."
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
