Joanne Penney accused changes plea and admits her murder

One of the defendants on trial for murdering Joanne Penney has dramatically changed his plea to guilty.

Miss Penney was shot in the chest at close range when she opened the front door of a house in in Llys Illtyd in Talbot Green in March this year. The 40-year-old died moments later.

The prosecution say the killing was part of a "clash" between rival criminal gangs involved in a turf war over drugs.

Shortly before the court adjourned for lunch on Thursday Tom Crowther KC, barrister for Huntley, asked his client be rearraigned. Huntley then entered a guilty plea. The jury returned a formal guilty verdict in his case.

Opening the case for the prosecution on Wednesday, October 22, Jonathan Rees KC said: "On March 9, 2025, Joanne Penney opened the front door of 10 Llys Illtyd, Green Park, in Talbot Green and was instantly shot to the heart with a single bullet fired from a handgun at close range. She barely managed to stagger back to the living room of the address, before she fell to the floor and died moments later.

"The trigger may have been pulled by Marcus Huntley, but the prosecution’s case is that each of Joshua Gordon, Marcus Huntley, Jordan Mills-Smith, Melissa Quailey-Dashper, Kristina Ginova and Tony Porter, are jointly responsible for her murder."

He added: “They each played their part in the death of Joanna Penney – knowing that they were acting to bring about, or assisting/encouraging others to bring about, at least really serious injury to another person.”

The prosecutor said the background to the killing was a “clash of rival organised crime groups" involving a Leicester-based gang allegedly headed by defendant Joshua Gordon called the "Rico OCG" and another gang headed by a person called Daniel Joseph, or "Jimmy".