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Man admits murdering woman shot dead as she opened door

Stephen FaircloughBBC Wales, Cardiff Crown Court
News imageFamily photo Joanne Penney seen in selfie taken sitting in a car. She is making the peace sign hand gesture and has shoulder-length straight blonde hair and wears a light blue cardigan. Family photo
Joanne Penney died after being shot at a block of flats in Talbot Green on 9 March

A man on trial for murder alongside five other defendants has changed his plea to guilty.

Joanne Penney was fatally shot as she opened the door at Llys Illtyd flats in Talbot Green, Rhondda Cynon Taf, on 9 March.

Marcus Huntley returned to Cardiff Crown Court shortly before 13:00 BST and his barrister Thomas Crowther KC asked for him to be re-arraigned.

When asked how he pleaded to the charge of murdering Ms Penney, 21-year-old Huntley from Cardiff replied guilty. The jury formally returned a verdict of guilty.

The trial of the other defendants, Joshua Gordon, 27, Melissa Quailey-Dashper, 40, Kristina Ginova, 21, and Tony Porter, 68, all from Leicester, and Jordan Mills-Smith, 33, from Cardiff, is ongoing. They all deny murder.